The NFL has announced the top players for the 2019 performance-based pay program and a player from the Kansas City Chiefs has earned the top spot. Second-year CB Charvarius Ward topped the list, earning a total of $428,335 in performance-based pay.
Ward joined the Chiefs after he was acquired in a trade from the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the 2018 NFL season. It was an unprecedented move for Kansas City. Ward was an undrafted free agent and the Chiefs traded former fourth-round pick, Parker Ehinger, to acquire him. Ward eventually worked his way into a starting role late in 2018 and was a starter throughout 2019, including during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV championship.
Ward’s amount of playtime is a big reason that he earned the most performance-based pay. Typically players with a lower salary and larger playtime are the ones that profit most from the performance-based pay system. Ward makes an average of $570,000 annually and played a big chunk of snaps for Kansas City. He played a total of 1048 defensive snaps, the second-most on the team only to DB Tyrann Mathieu. He also played 110 snaps on special teams.
Here is what the NFL said about Ward and his performance in their official press release:
Kansas City Chiefs cornerback CHARVARIUS WARD earned the highest combined distribution of all NFL players in the 2019 Performance-Based Pay program. He earned a total of $654,750, nearly 15 percent more than his 2019 salary, comprised of the following amounts: $428,335 from the Performance-Based Pay Pool, and an additional $226,415 from the Veteran Pool. Ward, a 2018 undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State, started all 16 games for the Chiefs during the 2019 regular season, playing in nearly 95 percent of the Chiefs’ defensive plays, as well as nearly 26 percent of the Chiefs’ special teams plays. He earned the league minimum salary for a player with one credited season (i.e., $570,000). Ward signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Cowboys in May of 2018 before being traded to the Chiefs in August 2018. During Kansas City’s Super Bowl-winning season in 2019, Ward finished second on the team with a career-high 10 passes defensed and registered his first two career interceptions.
Ward will have a base salary of $660,000 in 2020 before becoming a restricted free agent in 2021. He’s among the players that will be due for a new contract with the Chiefs sooner rather than later. For now, he’s happy to collect the extra pay for his stellar performance.
Anybody need a dollar or two? I woke up in a good mood today. https://t.co/ztBoxoGZya
— Charvarius Ward (@itslilmooney) March 12, 2020
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