The Level One PPE is earned if a player participates in a certain percentage of a team's offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averages that percentage of offensive or defensive snaps over his entire first three years. Andrew Norwell reduced his 2021 compensation from $12 million to $9 million with opportunity to make back the $3 million through incentives. "It's pretty cool," Wilson said. He has 82 for 1,007 yards. He was also limited to five games because of a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle. Every season in which Wilson completes at least 66% of his passes (minimum of 224 pass attempts), throws for 4,000 or more passing yards or has at least 36 touchdown passes adds $250,000 for each achievement. After restructuring his contract back in March, converting over $4 million in salary to incentives to help the Green Bay Packers clear some cap space, Smith is on his way to earning those dollars back thanks to getting after the quarterback. Wilson enters the final game of the season with a 65.2% completion mark. To make the $1 million tied to 90%, Miami must be improved from 2020 by NFL ranking in total net defensive yards allowed or net yards allowed per passing play. Houston has already made $1 million because he has nine sacks. His playtime this season is 83.29%. Sign up for the Touchdown Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning, Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey is more than another small DT -- his combine performance and game tape should make the NFL take notice. There are $1 million in incentives based on sacks and another $1 million based on his playtime. Maximum: $4.5 millionExpected bonus: $4.5 million. He'll enter Sunday having played 96.8% of Arizona's defensive snaps. Richie Incognito, G, Raiders, $476,567.28: The veteran started 12 games for the Raiders in the franchise's final year in Oakland. Fowler has 4.5 sacks this season. Finney was one of 13 players to earn bonuses of less than $1,000, with Houston Texans quarterback AJ McCarron receiving the second-smallest check at $316. https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/lists/aaron-rodgers-tom-brady-stefon-diggs-chris-jones/, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Kirk Cousins sits in fifth at 101.3. The NFL's performance-based pay system has been around since 2002, when it was included in the ratification of the collective bargaining agreement, and it rewards players who have had high playing time but are making low base salaries. There's $515,000 more for reaching 50 receptions and the same amount with 650 yards. The two-year, $13 million deal Brown signed to remain with the Patriots is worth as much as $22 million because of $4.5 million in annual playtime incentives. All-in approach pays off for Rams If the Packers as a team hit that stipulation, Rodgers will earn $100,000 if he is in the top three of each of the following: Completion percentage: He's fourth at 68.6. Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton would have earned $1 million if the Cowboys made the playoffs. Rob Gronkowski returned to the Buccaneers on a one-year, $8 million contract with an additional $2 million in incentives -- $1.5 million of which is based on his 2021 statistical achievement. These tables display which players are currently projected to qualify for the Proven Performance Escalator (PPE), a fourth-year salary escalator for players on drafted rookie contracts not drafted in the first round. Another $500,000 is made with at least 90% playtime with an additional $750,000 for this playtime and making the playoffs. His comes 3 years from now, after the packers give Rodgers, the Favre send off. He cut his $14 million 2021 compensation to the $6 million that was already fully guaranteed. An additional $1 million is for winning the Super Bowl with at least 50% participation in the game and 65% or more playtime during the regular season. He collected $4,786. Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland needed one interception Sunday for $100,000. Currently at 55.2% of Baltimore's snaps, if he finishes the season playing over 50%, he'll make an extra $1.5 million -- which should happen -- or if he ends the season playing at least 55% of the Ravens' snaps, that'll bump to $2 million. There's $500,000 more with 7.5 sacks. He earned $2,839 from the Detroit Lions and $591 from the New England Patriots. Armstead makes $300,000 for 65% or more offensive playtime, with an additional $400,000 for 70%. The Titans traded Wilson to the Dolphins earlier in the offseason and he has already been released. He signed a two-year, $5 million deal worth up to $9 million through incentives. Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. lasted seven games before a knee injury. News tracker | Top 100 free agents The sixth-round pick out of Alabama in 2018 started for the entire regular season. He gets the entire $4.4 million for hitting 14 sacks. The Packers reworked a disgruntled Aaron Rodgers' contract to end his offseason rift with the team. There are $3 million of incentives based on receptions and receiving yards. Cooper Kupp saved the Rams The 49ers have seven wins in the 10 games where Garoppolo played at least 25%. Maximum: $1 million Expected bonus: $1 million The 33-year-old announced on Tuesday he is retiring at the end of the season. The entire $1 million is earned with double-digit sacks. He gets another $250,000 for 75% or more playtime and $125,000 more for at least 80% of New England's defensive snaps. Players on almost every NFL team have possibilities; here are some of the more lucrative or interesting ones. He has seven sacks so far this season. Like the touchdown passes, this is tied to Tampa hitting those rushing totals. The necessary playtime thresholds are each 5% lower in this instance. The most frequent categories for individual achievement are playtime or based on the player's primary function (i.e. Hitting 70% is worth another $250,000. Incentives give Whitworth an opportunity to earn back $4.5 million of the $5.5 million.Whitworth makes $1 million, $2 million or $3 million respectively with a minimum of 40%, 47% or 54% offensive playtime and a Rams improved NFL ranking in either points scored, average net yards per passing play or average net yards per rushing play. He has already earned $500,000 because of his yardage total. Eleven players received more than $500,000. The only potential escalation is for completion percentage. Smith has thrown for 3,886 yards and 27 touchdowns. He enters the final weekend of the year sitting at nine sacks. A.J. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. "I've been taking my incentives one incentive at a time," said Floyd, who finishes with 10.5 sacks this season. Arizona Cardinals pass rusher Markus Golden is going to have Russell Wilson in his sights this weekend, for a number of reasons. He received $14,669. He is playing on a one-year $3.5 million contract worth up to $7 million though incentives. J.J. Watt, DL, Cardinals Maximum: $1 million Expected bonus: $1 million The 33-year-old announced on Tuesday he is retiring at the end of the season. He was one of 26 players to have earned at least $500,000. 8 at 100.5. As Statista states, an NFL player's lowest salary will be a whopping $1.065 million in 2030. Brown got off to a fast start before an ankle injury and a three-game suspension for violating COVID-19 protocols derailed his season. Each team hands out $8.5 million to their players based on playing time and salary. The Chiefs acquired Ingram in a trade prior to the deadline, back on November 2, 2021. His take from the 2020 performance-based pay system: $5,653. He only played eight games in 2021 and had knee surgery in January. For instance, in 2022, each team got $8.5m in performance-based pay to be divided among all the players depending on their salary and playtime. Green is enjoying a second life in the desert as part of an Arizona Cardinals team that is trying to lock down a division title in the final week of the season. Saints wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders needed eight catches Sunday to reach a $500,000 bonus for 60 catches on the season. The bonus pay will help him offset the money he lost from a two-game suspension at the start of 2019 for violating the league's personal conduct policy. Trace McSorley, QB, Ravens, $383.55: The reserve quarterback played one snap the entire season. He received the fourth-highest total from the veteran pool. Id be curious as to what metrics and variables are used to determine that. Option bonuses are treated the same as signing bonuses, except they have a trigger date later in the contract meaning they kick in the year after signing or later. Smith won a training camp battle with Drew Lock to succeed Russell Wilson, who was dealt to the Broncos in a blockbuster trade at the beginning of the offseason. Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. is a half-sack away from $1 million -- with 4.5 sacks, he needs to reach five sacks to collect -- and if he has a big game against New Orleans and reaches seven sacks, he would instead make $2 million. Could the Cowboys look at a running back in first round again? 13, and he'd need to get into the top five to hit a $562,500 bonus. Since the acquisition, which allowed Steve Spagnuolo to slide Jones back to the interior of the defensive line, Jones has tallied six total sacks. Two more sacks in the final three games will get Golden the entire $2 million. Wish I had this at my place of employment. Diggs is just off the pace with catches. Heinicke took over seven games into the season after Carson Wentz broke the ring finger on his throwing hand. There's $1 million with at least 60% playtime and the Chiefs making the playoffs. Hroniss Grasu, OL, Ravens, $467.06: Grasu also played one snap for Baltimore. He can earn $250,000 if he finishes the year among the top seven kickers in field goals made, another $250,000 if he is in the top ten kickers in field goals made, and another $250,000 if he finishes the season with a conversion rate of over 90% on field goal attempts. Folk also gets $125,000 for a first- or second-team All-NFL selection. There's an additional $250,000 each at the 65%, 75% and 85% playtime levels. The four-year, $160 million contract Prescott signed in March 2021 contains a $1 million incentive each year for the Cowboys winning the Super Bowl. It's $500,000 for making the playoffs. Armstead had played 97 of a possible 145 regular-season games in nine NFL seasons prior to signing a five-year, $75 million contract containing $43.73 million of guarantees with the Dolphins. You cant get a performance based bonus when you had no performance at all. There's also $1 million for being selected to the Pro Bowl or being named first-team All-NFL by the Associated Press. Tom Brady earned $562,500 for finishing in the top five in passing. Alex Capps the pride of Humboldt State They shuttered the football program after he graduated. That also triggers a $1.2 million escalator that will raise his 2021 base salary from $9.8 million to $11 million. Getting five sacks is worth $500,000. Maximum: $2 millionExpected bonus: $625,000. Clowney makes $250,000 for reaching 60% defensive playtime. The Rams are significantly better in all of these categories compared to last season. Smith-Schuster has 74 catches for 877 yards so far this season. He's able to collect on the 70% or 80% snap count barrier only if the Dolphins finish the season having improved by NFL ranking from last season in either total net defensive yards allowed, net yards allowed per rushing play or net yards allowed per passing play. That may be out of reach. Gronkowski has already missed too much time to hit the 65% playtime threshold. He totaled seven sacks with the Lions, matching his yearly average over the past four seasons. Dalton signed a one-year, $3 million deal with $3 million of incentives to back up Jameis Winston. He was one of 26 players to have earned at least $500,000. Tom Brady has a number of incentives to play for this season, and while many of those can only be achieved with victories in the postseason, there are some regular season contract incentives at stake this weekend. In these roster bonuses, teams will usually specify a date that the player will earn the bonus with a clause that reads like, "Player will receive $2 million roster bonus on the second. Wentz is getting the start for Week 17's game against the Browns. Brady is leading the NFL in these two categories this season. At the other end of the spectrum is Cincinnati Bengals center B.J. Armstead's offensive playtime is 74.7% (688 of 921 plays) through 15 games. Brady needs the Buccaneers to have a better yards-per-rush average this year than last year -- something Tampa Bay currently has at 4.35 yards per rush compared to 4.12 last season -- to unlock some of his incentives. Del Rio assured me he would take care of Smith. He then earned $400,000 by topping 1,000 yards on the season and another $200,000 by scoring his 10th touchdown. Each achievement is worth $500,000. It's an additional $500,000 each at 65 receptions and 900 yards, while 65% or more offensive playtime and Kansas City making the playoffs is worth $1.5 million. Free-agency coverage | More NFL . A $1 million incentive for being selected to the Pro Bowl wasn't earned. The Super Bowl incentive won't be earned because of a lack of playtime. He joined the Super Bowl LVI champion Rams on a five-year, $50 million contract worth up to $65 million through incentives. There's $250,000 more with eight sacks. Jones has seven sacks in the 11 games he has played this season. 2:43 pm ET. The same goes for NFL Offensive Player of the Year. His defensive playtime this season is 63.2%. All players who are on the active 53-man roster the Sunday immediately preceding the conference championship games will earn $65,000, up $6,000 from last year. The thresholds on existing sack incentives were lowered from seven to six and nine to eight. Instead, he joined the Vikings on a backloaded, three-year, $42 million deal worth up to $44 million with incentives. Make Your Picks. Show me the money: Who earned NFL performance bonuses and who missed out, Jones: Not fixated on Cowboys' drought, just '23, Sources: Raiders plan franchise tag for Jacobs, WR Addison to Steelers' Pickett: 'Come get me', Wolverines' Turner wows with 4.26 40 at combine, Top QB prospect Levis eager to unleash 'cannon', QB Bennett addresses off-field issues at combine, Campbell: Lamar wants deal done with Ravens, Alabama QB Young undeterred by size questions, The most memorable pre-NFL draft workouts ever: Coaches, scouts, execs make their picks, 2023 NFL franchise tag tracker: Raiders tag Josh Jacobs, the NFL's rushing leader, Browns' offense: Grading positions ahead of free agency, 2023 draft, Jaguars won't spend big, but here are five players they could target in free agency. Each Pro Bowl selection adds $250,000. Offensive lineman Marcus Martin, who split the 2020 season between two teams, was also a double-dipper. Maximum: $3 millionExpected bonus: $1.5 million. If it's one category, Green Bay has eclipsed this with two interception returns this season versus one last year. There are entirely too many performance bonuses in NFL contracts to recognize them all. Sometimes the best feeling can be finding an extra $20 in a pair of jeans you have not worn in a while. Click here to see our full content schedule or subscribe now. "It felt great," Sanders said with a laugh after the game. The Chiefs are hoping to get Jones back from the COVID-19 list this week. Maximum: $1 millionExpected bonus: $750,000. Coupling an individual achievement with a team statistical performance also makes an incentive NLTBE. Los Angeles Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr.'s potential of $3 million in incentives doesn't start until the playoffs, where he'll earn $500,000 if he plays and the team wins in the wild-card round. Clark's playtime is 64.19% through Week 16. The payday has been an annual staple since it was included in the collective bargaining agreement ratified in 2002. Seattle needs to win the final two regular-season games and get some help from other teams to make the playoffs with a 9-8 record. With nine sacks, he already has brought in $1.25 million. But, as we are reminded almost daily, the NFL is a business, and players have limited windows to maximize their earnings before the cruelty of the game and Father Time take hold and win in the end. Here's a look at 2020 performance bonuses for 20 noteworthy players. The Dolphins had no interest in a renegotiation since there were four years left on Howard's deal. There are $2.5 million of incentives in every year that make the deal worth up to $87.5 million. The Seahawks were going to take a knee with 22 seconds left but changed the play in the huddle to an end-around pop pass for Moore. The 33-year-old announced on Tuesday he is retiring at the end of the season. Brown gets $500,000 for 65% or more offensive playtime and another $500,000 with 70% or more. There's an additional $125,000 for hitting the 60% playtime threshold in a playoff victory that's capped at two wins. Hightower's defensive playtime is 66.32% through 14 games. There are also $500,000 in incentives, which aren't achievable, tied to Tampa Bay's playoff success ($250,000 for getting to the Super Bowl and $250,000 for winning the Super Bowl), Gronkowski taking at least 65% of the offensive snaps and improvement from 2020 NFL ranking in average net yards gained per rushing play. Poyer isn't going to earn any of the playtime related incentives. Folk is leading the league with 34 field goals made. There are entirely too many performance bonuses in NFL contracts to recognize them all. Carolina Panthers linebacker Haason Reddick has 11 sacks this season. Heinicke also gets $250,000 with at least 60% playtime during the regular season and Washington making the playoffs. His defensive playtime is 70.75%. The amount increases to $700,000 and $900,000 with eight and nine sacks, respectively. A.J. The other $500,000 is for a Pro Bowl selection, which didn't occur. Rams top Bengals after OBJ exits Maximum: $1.5 millionExpected bonus: $1 million. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson was aware of what was at stake for Moore in the week leading up to the regular-season finale. He took a $5.5 million pay cut to $4 million to continue playing for the Rams. Ted Karras, C, Patriots, $635,947.35: After starting a total of five games in his first three years in the league, Karras tripled that in 2019. He started 15 games for the Patriots at center, missing only the Week 14 loss to Kansas City. Incentives are usually designed to be classified as not likely to be earned (NLTBE) so that they will not count against the salary cap when a deal is signed. In 2019, he started every game for Pittsburgh and posted an 86% pass block win rate, an ESPN metric powered by NFL Next Gen Stats. There are multiple ways for Poyer to earn the $2 million: (1) $750,000 for six or more interceptions, (2) $500,000 for a Pro Bowl selection, (3) $500,000 for 92% or more defensive playtime, (4) $500,000 for at least 90% defensive playtime and the Bills improving in wins from 2021, (5) $500,000 for at least 90% defensive playtime and the Bills improving over 2021's league rank in sacks, (6) $500,000 for at least 90% defensive playtime and the Bills improving over 2021 league rank in turnover margin, (7) $250,000 for one fumble recovery or $300,000 with two fumble recoveries or $500,00 with five fumble recoveries and (8) $250,000 for at least one interception return for a touchdown. Preston Smith is another pass rusher with a reason to get to the quarterback this weekend. All 255 picks | Biggest takeaways Buccaneers QB Tom Brady. Both types of bonuses can be used to bridge the financial gap when there is a disagreement in a negotiation between a player's agent and the team on the player's value. UFA. Thats right, were talking about kicker bonuses. From $248 to $622K: NFL players to bring in a wide range of bonuses, Jones: Not fixated on Cowboys' drought, just '23, Sources: Raiders plan franchise tag for Jacobs, WR Addison to Steelers' Pickett: 'Come get me', Wolverines' Turner wows with 4.26 40 at combine, Top QB prospect Levis eager to unleash 'cannon', QB Bennett addresses off-field issues at combine, Campbell: Lamar wants deal done with Ravens, Alabama QB Young undeterred by size questions, The most memorable pre-NFL draft workouts ever: Coaches, scouts, execs make their picks, 2023 NFL franchise tag tracker: Raiders tag Josh Jacobs, the NFL's rushing leader, Browns' offense: Grading positions ahead of free agency, 2023 draft, Jaguars won't spend big, but here are five players they could target in free agency. There are entirely too many performance bonuses in NFL contracts to recognize them all. Jones signed a four-year, $80 million contract in 2020 as a franchise player. Maximum: $3 millionExpected bonus: $1 million. The deal is worth up to $84 million through incentives for a maximum value of $21 million per year. In terms of yardage incentives, he earned $250,000 each for hitting 600, 700 and 800, and has one last threshold available, at the 900-yard mark. The amount increases to $500,000 and $750,000 with seven and nine sacks, respectively. Performance bonuses can be divided into two basic categories: incentives and salary escalators. If earned, a team will incur a salary cap charge for most incentives after the playoffs end. This means Hightower's 2020 contract year became his 2021 contract year, which includes $2 million in incentives.