The last couple of weeks of the regular season can create an interesting dilemma for teams that have players with incentives and salary escalators -- the two major types of performance bonuses -- hanging in the balance. The Rams were 15th, 15th and 17th, respectively, in points allowed, average net yards per passing play and total defense in 2021. Maximum: $7 millionExpected bonus: $1 million. This offseason, he signed a two-year, $4 million deal with the Cardinals. In the fourth quarter of the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh, the Ravens were backed up near their own goal line and needed some extra blocking help. section: | slug: agents-take-inside-the-2021-performance-bonuses-of-20-notable-players-including-tom-brady-and-stefon-diggs | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Please login to leave a reply. But not all bonuses are created equally. A subpar 2020 season where Preston Smith's sack total dropped from 12 in 2019 to four led to a $4 million cut in pay. Maximum: $3.5 millionExpected bonus: $2.5 million. That is another $1 million in bonuses. Triggering an escalator doesn't necessarily mean that the player will make the increased salary. Dalton makes $500,000 by taking at least 50% of New Orleans' offensive snaps and another $500,000 with this playtime and making the playoffs. There's $515,000 more for reaching 50 receptions and the same amount with 650 yards. There's $250,000 more with every additional 10 receptions until 80 for a total of $1 million. Free-agency coverage | More NFL . 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. Up to $1.85 million of the $2.5 million is playtime incentives contingent on the Dolphins ranking in the NFL's top 25 in either average net yards gained per passing play or average net yards gained per running play. 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. Those clauses remain in force, and while Diggs is likely to fall short of 1,375 receiving yards, he enters Sunday with 94 receptions. Coupling an individual achievement with a team statistical performance also makes an incentive NLTBE. Stay prepared during the 2021 NFL Season From Week 1 until the Super Bowl, we create the highest-quality NFL fantasy, DFS, and prop betting content. But with one game left he has a shot at a $250,000 bonus for finishing the year with a completion percentage above 66%. Id be curious as to what metrics and variables are used to determine that. NFL playoff pay breakdown: -- Wild Card Round (Division Winners): $31,000 -- Wild Card Round (Non Division Winners): $28,000 -- Divisional Playoff Game: $31,000 -- Conference Championship Game:. His playtime this season is 83.29%. Interestingly enough, if he reaches this goal he might want to treat new teammate Melvin Ingram to something nice. He makes $500,000 for each of the six thresholds reached. Here's a look at 2019 performance bonuses for 25 noteworthy NFL players. Golden has already made $1 million because he is tied for eighth in the NFL with 11 sacks. Grasu played right tackle and blocked for a 3-yard gain. Brady already has made $500,000 by playing in 75% of Tampa Bay's snaps in the regular season and making the playoffs. This year, each team was allocated $4,623,500 for performance-based pay. It becomes $1.25 million instead for winning a divisional round game and the same playtime requirement for that contest. Preston Smith is another pass rusher with a reason to get to the quarterback this weekend. That may be out of reach. He also has hit on 92.1% of his field goal attempts, so barring a bad day at the office, that bonus should also be secured. Brady is also 12th in the league with 7.3 yards per attempt (Aaron Rodgers is fifth with 7.8). 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. You cant get a performance based bonus when you had no performance at all. Throwing for at least 3,400 yards is worth $250,000. Doing the same in the Super Bowl with those regular-season statistics nets another $1 million. Whitworth's playtime this season is 90.13%. Here's a look at 2021 performance bonuses for 20 noteworthy players. Smith-Schuster has 74 catches for 877 yards so far this season. Kirk has 76 receptions for 988 yards through 15 games. It gave Attaochu, who started in place of the injured Bradley Chubb, five sacks for the season -- good for fourth on the team. Kansas City has clinched a playoff berth. Should he have a huge day and tally three sacks, he will earn the $750,000 for reaching ten, and another $1.2 million for getting to 12. Maximum: $1.5 millionExpected bonus: $1 million. Players earn the same bonus for making it to the divisional round. A $1 million incentive for being selected to the Pro Bowl wasn't earned. How bonuses played a role in Week 17, including a changed play worth $100,000 Several contract incentives were cashed in as the regular season came to an end -- and the money earned is significant. He didn't have 1,000 receiving yards in any of his four NFL seasons with the Cardinals. Bengals' rebuild not yet complete 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. The Jaguars raised eyebrows by signing Kirk to a four-year, $72 million contract with $37 million fully guaranteed when free agency began. He has converted 91.9% of his 37 field goal attempts. Incentives are typically paid in February or March following the season in which they are earned. It doesn't get more effective than that. Whitworth also has incentives based on the Rams' playoff success and his offensive playtime reaching 65%. Since the acquisition, which allowed Steve Spagnuolo to slide Jones back to the interior of the defensive line, Jones has tallied six total sacks. He started 15 games for the Patriots at center, missing only the Week 14 loss to Kansas City. Tom Brady TB QB #12. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (knee) played just two games as well, and he earned $4,279. Ten were paid less than $1,000. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. Hroniss Grasu, OL, Ravens, $467.06: Grasu also played one snap for Baltimore. Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick Maximum: $5 million Expected bonus: $2.5 million Dolphins head coach Brian Flores'. Players on the winning team get a $112,000 bonus. 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. Smith earned $500,000 for being selected to the Pro Bowl. Seven, nine and 11 sacks are each worth an additional $1 million. So far, Howard has played in 928 of 1,022 of the Dolphins' plays (90.8%). He was also given assurances that a renegotiation would take place in early 2022 reflecting his 2021 performance and health.There are $2.5 million in playtime incentives contingent on Miami improving in NFL ranking from the 2020 season in either total defense, average net years given up per passing play or average net yards given per rushing play. The Super Bowl incentive won't be earned because of a lack of playtime. Please check your email for a confirmation. There are $2.5 million of incentives in every year that make the deal worth up to $87.5 million. Being selected to the Pro Bowl, which Smith-Schuster wasn't, would have yielded $1 million as well. The amount goes to $750,000 if 3,700 passing yards is reached and is $1 million for hitting the 4,000-yard mark. Finney. Maximum: $1.25 millionExpected bonus: $1.25 million. Can the Lions fix their defense? The Dolphins had no interest in a renegotiation since there were four years left on Howard's deal. He has $1 million in playtime incentives. Saints wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders needed eight catches Sunday to reach a $500,000 bonus for 60 catches on the season. Snap counts and playing time in this story were used from ESPN Stats & Information. The necessary playtime thresholds are each 5% lower in this instance. The NFL has released the numbers for performance based pay earned by players from the 2021 season. Vikings left tackle ">Riley Reiff was in line for a possible $1 million if he played 93.75% of snaps; he finished the season having been in for 92.6%. The Commanders won five of the nine games Heinicke has started. The $2 million of annual incentives are for sacks. He had only missed seven offensive snaps before the game. Because he never played a snap. His 10th came in a Week 12 contest against the Rams. Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke made an extra $125,000 for every win in which he played at least 60% of the snaps. With the Football Team winning six games -- all with him at quarterback -- he's already made $750,000 this year with the chance for another $125,000 on Sunday against the Giants. Aaron Rodgers earns a bonus of $100,000 if he plays over 72.5% of the Green Bay Packers' snaps and finishes in the top three of any of these four categories: Passer rating, completion percentage,. Each Pro Bowl selection adds $250,000. There are $2 million of incentives based on his receptions and receiving yards. Houston re-signed with the Ravens on a one-year, $3.5 million deal worth up to $5.5 million through incentives with $1.5 million of the $2 million for sacks. As Statista states, an NFL player's lowest salary will be a whopping $1.065 million in 2030. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys, $65,073.98: Elliott was a holdout at the beginning of training camp and was paid handsomely -- a six-year deal worth $90 million. First team All-Pro/All-NFL by the Associated Press, Pro Football Writers of America or the Sporting News earns $1 million. The earned incentives are also added to Collins' 2023 base salary, which is currently $3.5 million. He has 82 for 1,007 yards. He enters Week 18 with the Patriots still having an outside shot at the top overall seed in the AFC having played 67% of New Englands defensive snaps. Garoppolo has an incentive paying $250,000 for every game in which he participates in at least 25% of San Francisco's offensive plays where there's an additional $100,000 in a 49ers win. A Pro Bowl selection, which didn't happen, with the Rams improving on one of those rankings, is worth $500,000 instead of the Pro Bowl bonus when both are accomplished. One of Brady's biggest competitors in the NFC and for most valuable player is Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who also could see some extra money, and he might even do so by not playing in the regular-season finale against Detroit. Full class rankings from Scouts Inc. Little bank Brady's 66.9% completions is No. Wagner's defensive playtime is 99.06% with two weeks left in the season. 13, and he'd need to get into the top five to hit a $562,500 bonus. Gilmore didn't sign a two-year, $20 million deal worth up to $23 million with incentives until the middle of April when the 2022 NFL Draft was approaching. A salary reduction was necessary after Dante Fowler only produced three sacks in 2020. Running back Todd Gurley didn't get the $1 million increase of his 2023 salary from his 2018 performance because the Rams released him in March 2020. The escalated amount is rarely guaranteed so teams can still ask the player to take a pay cut or release him without incurring the financial obligation. Armstead makes $300,000 for 65% or more offensive playtime, with an additional $400,000 for 70%. Haason Reddick took a one-year, $6 million deal worth up to $8 million through incentives from Carolina in free agency. If he reaches 10 sacks, that will bump to $2 million, and if he were to hit 12 sacks, that would bump to $3.2 million. 2:43 pm ET. As NLTBE, there isn't a salary cap charge for the incentives until after the playoffs, if achieved. Giants running back Saquon Barkley suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2. The other $500,000 is for a Pro Bowl selection, which didn't occur. The conference championship round, by contrast, awards $51,000 to each athlete. $1 million is for the Jaguars also making the playoffs, which isn't happening. Broncos linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu triggered a $250,000 bonus Sunday when he sacked Raiders quarterback Derek Carr with 4 minutes, 42 seconds left in the Broncos' 32-31 loss to Las Vegas.