Jets safety Jordan Whitehead had a night to remember on Monday night. In just one game, Whitehead set a new career-high for interceptions in a season. Before Monday, Whitehead had never had a season in which he had recorded three interceptions let alone three in one game.
He reached that mark in the first game of the 2023 season by picking off Bills quarterback Josh Allen three times in helping keep New York in the game that they ultimately won in overtime 22-16.
Not only did Whitehead help score a win for his team in Week 1, he also secured a little more money for himself in the process. Whitehead’s three interceptions helped him reach an incentive in just one game that pays him an extra $250,000.
It’s extremely rare for a player to hit an incentive in Week 1 of the regular season, but Jets S Jordan Whitehead did exactly that.
His 3 interceptions earned him a $250,000 bonus.
Arguably the most impactful player on the field during an unusual Week 1 opener. pic.twitter.com/hQEIqCtVY1
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 12, 2023
Whitehead restructured his contract with the Jets earlier this offseason to help free up some cap space. He had a base salary of about $3.1 million and also has $595,000 in per-game bonuses (that’s $35,000 per game).
So thanks to his three interceptions, Whitehead pocketed almost $470,000 between his game check, per-game bonus and hitting his incentive. And the Jets beat the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 on Monday Night Football. Not a bad start to the season for the Jets safety.