500k is great for the players, particularly the bottom half of the roster, but if they really wanted fans to care more they should add a first round pick to the pool and give it to the winner. I’d be cool with the last pick in the first round, but a mid first would really make things spicy.

It would give the teams in contention a chance to upgrade their roster with a deadline trade, or try reloading for the future. A lot of the better teams had to strip assets to get in that position, so it would be a sweet reward for the franchise and the fans.