When the 2020 season ended, everyone was preparing for another game to be added to the season for 2021. This finally came to fruition on Tuesday. After NFL owners successfully voted to add a 17th game to the regular season, subsequent matchups were added for all NFL teams, including the Cowboys’ matchup with the Patriots.
This news came with some changes regarding player contracts that were set in place when the new CBA was agreed on, preparing for this moment. For players who were signed before February 26 of 2020, this will bring them an extra game check for Week 18. Defensive end Demarcus Lawrence is among the list of ten players who will be making at least $1 million more in 2021 thanks to the extra game.
The exact number for the contract bonus will be 1/17th of their base salary and will impact all players signed before the aforementioned date.
Lawrence’s base salary for 2021 is a neat $17 million.
These will be listed as part of the performance-based bonuses so they will not fall under the cap. With the added game check not impacting the salary cap, the Cowboys won’t have to sweat over the news when thinking about potential signings as free agency continues.
In 2021, those extra game checks will be funded from the performance-based pay pool (up to $48 million) and rookie redistribution fund. So, they're counted as benefits, not salary, and thus don’t count against the cap.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 31, 2021
All deals signed since the new CBA apparently include the 17th game, which brings even more sharply into focus the pay decrease many veterans are seeing with the decreased salary cap.
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