Tag: bonus

Here’s why ex-Broncos QB Russell Wilson was paid an extra $40,018 for 2023 season

The NFL’s performance-based pay program gave QB Russell Wilson an extra $40,018 for playing 938 snaps in 2023.

Denver Broncos fans might feel that quarterback Russell Wilson was overpaid for his two-year stint with the team, but the NFL begs to differ.

Each offseason, the NFL hands out performance-based pay bonuses that essentially reward players for outperforming their contracts. The highest earners in the program are often every-down starters who are still on a rookie contract.

A brief explanation from the league: “Under the Performance-Based Pay program, a fund is created and used as a supplemental form of player compensation based upon a comparison of playing time to salary. Players become eligible to receive a bonus distribution in any regular season in which they play at least one official down. In general, players with higher playtime percentages and lower salaries benefit most from the pool.”

Denver guard Quinn Meinerz ($747,505) and pass rusher Jonathon Cooper ($738,916) received the largest bonuses among Broncos players in 2023, but they were not alone. A total of 64 players received playing time bonuses, including Wilson.

Wilson received a $40,018 check — this time from the NFL, not Denver’s front office — as part of the performance-based pay program. Wilson started 15 games in 2023 and played 938 snaps.

Jarrett Stidham, who only started two games and played 134 snaps in 2023, received a $41,814 bonus, a reflection of players on lower salaries getting a bigger reward for their playing time.

Five years ago, former Broncos backup quarterback Chad Kelly received a $354 bonus in 2019 after he appeared in one game for a kneel-down.

Wilson received $28 million from Denver last year and he will earn another $37.79 million from the Broncos in 2024 despite no longer being on the team. Playing nearly 1,000 snaps last year earned him an extra $40,000 on his way out of town.

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Landon Dickerson and Eagles agree on four-year contract extension

Former Alabama OL Landon Dickerson becomes highest paid guard in the NFL

NFL free agency is finally here and things are moving at a million miles per hour. Over the past couple of years, the Philadelphia Eagles have found a ton of success in the offseason, and 2024 seems to be no different. Obviously the retirements of Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox are tough ones, but general manager Howie Roseman always has a plan.

The Eagles landed running back Saquon Barkley which was their splashy move, however, re-signing former Alabama guard [autotag]Landon Dickerson[/autotag] to an extension is nearly as important. Dickerson’s extension is good for four-years and will be worth around $84 million, making him the highest-paid guard in league history. $50 million of it will be guaranteed with $20 million coming as a signing bonus.

Dickerson has been a guard ever since he stepped into the league, but with Kelce’s retirement, it will be interesting to see if he moves back over to center. During his time with Alabama and Florida State, Dickerson was almost exclusively a center.

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Foster Moreau has some challenging contract incentives in 2023

Foster Moreau has some challenging contract incentives in 2023. A productive season could earn the Saints tight end another $1 million:

What are the expectations for Foster Moreau going into 2023? Many New Orleans Saints fans didn’t expect to see him so soon after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but Moreau completed treatment in the spring, signed his contract, and has already hit the practice field working to get back in rhythm with the same quarterback he’s always caught passes from: Derek Carr, his former Las Vegas Raiders teammate.

Moreau’s coming of his best season as a pro with 33 receptions for 420 yards and a pair of touchdown catches, having converted a career-high 24 first downs and played 67.6% of their offensive snaps. Here are the milestones he’ll be chasing with the Saints in 2023, earning a $250,000 performance bonus for triggering each incentive, per The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov:

  • 65% of snaps AND 40 or more receptions
  • 75% of snaps AND 40 or more receptions
  • 50 or more receptions
  • 60 or more receptions

Those aren’t low numbers to chase, but they’re not unrealistic, either. For comparison, Juwan Johnson led the Saints’ tight ends last year with 42 receptions while playing 61.6% of their snaps. They’re going to be a more pass-happy offense with a quarterback Dennis Allen and Pete Carmichael Jr. trust under center, and Carr is known for favoring his tight ends as receivers.

Moreau received a $3.5 million signing bonus from the Saints earlier in May as well as a $1.1 million base salary (meaning his salary cap hit is set at just $1.8 million), so he could potentially earn as much as $5.6 million this season by maxing out those incentives. If he catches 60 or more passes while playing 75% or more of the Saints’ snaps on offense, he and the team will be thrilled to hand him a $1 million bonus.

That’s just easier said than done. Here’s some added context: last season, 12 different NFL tight ends caught 40 or more passes while playing 65% or more of their team’s offensive snaps, and only eight of them met the threshold for playing 75% or more of their team’s snaps on offense. They didn’t meet the snaps threshold, but 16 tight ends had 50 or more receptions, and less than half of them caught 60 or more passes:

  • Travis Kelce (110)
  • T.J. Hockenson (86)
  • Mark Andrews and Evan Engram (73)
  • Tyler Higbee (72)
  • Pat Freiermuth (63)
  • George Kittle (60)

Out of that final group, a select four also met the qualifications for snaps percentage: Kelce, Engram, Higbee, and Kittle. So the Saints are challenging Moreau not just to take another step forward as a receiver, but to continue to help the offense as their primary blocking tight end, too. With Johnson entrenched as a big-play threat and their top pass-catching option at tight end, he’ll have his work cut out for him.

But it’ll be tough to bet against Moreau after seeing him overcome so much adversity to get here in the first place. Having an established connection with Carr certainly helps his case.

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Camryn Bynum among top earners in NFL’s 2022 performance-based pay program

Bynum was among the NFL’s most rewarded players when the numbers for the league’s performance-based pay program came out on Friday

Camryn Bynum has come on strong for the Minnesota Vikings since joining the team as a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft and was rewarded for his exceptional play via the NFL’s performance-based pay program to the tune of nearly $700,000.

After starting in every regular season game for the Vikings in 2022, Bynum established himself as a consistent contributor to Minnesota’s defense, cementing his status as one of the NFL’s best young defensive backs. He hauled in two interceptions in the 2022 campaign and added 81 combined tackles and two fumble recoveries to his exceptional sophomore resume.

While he still has room to grow, Bynum should be considered one of the Vikings’ most promising defenders ahead of the 2023 season and is set to take another big step forward in the near future. Minnesota’s defensive additions in free agency will free up Bynum to make even more game-changing plays from his safety spot in the Vikings’ defensive backfield and should lead to even more impressive production when the regular season commences.

Saints have two deadlines to consider in Michael Thomas extension talks

The Saints have two deadlines to consider in Michael Thomas extension talks. They’d like this deal to be done by Wednesday, but Friday brings heavier consequences:

Will the New Orleans Saints be able to hammer out a contract extension with Michael Thomas? Things are trending that way, but there’s a couple of important deadlines to dial in on as both sides continue to meet at the negotiating table.

Per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, Thomas will be owed a $200,000 roster bonus if he’s on the roster under his current deal at 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 15. That isn’t much more than a drop in the bucket as far as the $223 million salary cap is concerned, but losing that money wouldn’t be the best use of resources.

More concerning is the $31 million roster bonus for 2024 that will become fully guaranteed on Friday. The Saints need to get out in front of that poison pill and reach a resolution with Thomas one way or another — either by tearing up his contract and signing him to a new deal or by releasing him altogether.

Thomas played a part in helping the team recruit Derek Carr, who has been talking about him like a new contract is already signed and delivered. But we’ll have to wait and see if the Saints and the Saints can beat the clock.

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Saints kick off the Dennis Allen era, begin Phase 1 of offseason workouts

The Saints are kicking off the Dennis Allen era, beginning Phase 1 of their offseason workouts alongside three other teams with first-year head coaches:

And we’re off: the New Orleans Saints officially started the Dennis Allen era on Monday, April 4, as one of four teams with first-year head coaches starting their offseason workout program. The Chicago Bears (under Matt Eberflus), Miami Dolphins (under Mike McDaniel), and New York Giants (under Brian Daboll) were each given a two-week head start on the rest of the NFL. Players who choose to participate in the first phase of the offseason will have an opportunity to work out in the team facility and spend time on the practice field with their new training staff, though it’ll be a while before helmets come on and any full-speed drills start being run.

But what do these workouts entail? The NFL Players Association describes Phase 1 as a two-week period of four-hour sessions at the team facility, with two hours of work with strength and conditioning coaches and another two hours of independent training in the weight room. Of those two hours with the strength coach, only ninety minutes can be spent on the field. It’s a strictly-regulated part of the league calendar with player safety in mind. No one is wearing helmets, and all contact drills are prohibited.

For the Saints specifically, this will be their first opportunity to meet the team’s new director of sports science, Matt Rhea, who was hired away from Alabama. Rhea brought New Orleans’  new strength coach Matt Clapp along with him from the Crimson Tide, so this is a good opportunity for players to get to work and familiarize themselves with some new faces and new processes around the facility. Assistant strength and conditioning coaches Charles Byrd and Rob Wenning were each retained, so there is some continuity.

Participation is strictly voluntary at this early stage in the offseason, and the Saints haven’t really taken pains to incentivize it through contractual workout bonuses. Only three players have workout bonuses written into their contracts, per Over The Cap: wide receiver Michael Thomas ($200,000), defensive end Cameron Jordan ($100,000), and kicker Wil Lutz ($50,000).

Thomas has been rehabbing his surgically-repaired ankle in Southern California in recent months, so it’s unclear if he’ll make it out to join the team in New Orleans just yet. It’s worth noting that his $200,000 bonus is the highest on the team and one of the largest figures around the league, though. Lutz was cleared from core muscle surgery earlier this offseason and should be readying to reassert himself as one of the NFL’s best kickers.

Football activities will ramp up in the weeks ahead. Phase 2 allows all position coaches to get on the field for individual drills ahead of a three-day voluntary minicamp starting April 25, and Phase 3 introduces large-scale organized team activities (OTAs) over the summer, some of which will be open to fans. That coincides with the arrival of rookies following the 2022 NFL draft, and should be an exciting time in New Orleans. The first full-team mandatory three-day minicamp starts June 14. Here’s the full offseason workouts calendar:

  • Phase 1: April 4 to April 17
  • Phase 2: April 18 to May 8
  • Voluntary minicamps: April 25 to April 27
  • Phase 3: May 9 to June 6
  • OTA workouts: May 24 to 26, May 31 to June 2, June 7 to 10
  • Mandatory minicamp: June 14 to 16

This all leads up to training camp beginning at the end of July, so keep an eye out for updates on when fans can be allowed to observe practice and when camp begins. Before we know it we’ll be sweating at practice in Metairie and getting ready to watch preseason games. It feels like kickoff at the Caesars Superdome will be here before we know it.

Going under the hood of Marcus Maye’s new contract with the Saints

Going under the hood of Marcus Maye’s new contract with the Saints, via @DillySanders:

Free agency kicked off for the New Orleans Saints with an agreement on a three-year contract with former New York Jets safety Marcus Maye, and it’s as interesting as most other contracts the team has handed out. They had to structure it interestingly to account for their need for extra cap space in 2022. Let’s take a look how the money is spread out:

Newly-acquired Saints RB Mark Ingram has achievable contract incentives

Newly-acquired Saints RB Mark Ingram has achievable contract incentives

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More good news is rolling for Mark Ingram. The New Orleans Saints picked up the running back in a midweek trade with the Houston Texans, which puts him in a great position to earn some lucrative contract incentives — while trade terms haven’t yet been announced, Saints coach Sean Payton said Thursday morning that there is “absolutely, absolutely” a “high chance” Ingram will play in Sunday’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Still, let’s assume everyone dots their I’s and crosses their T’s to get this trade finalized promptly. As part of the contract he signed with Houston (which now moves onto New Orleans’ books) Ingram can cash in $250,000 if he runs for 750 rushing yards this season. He’ll receive another $250,000 if he hits 1,000 yards on the ground. Ingram also has a $29,411 weekly bonus for making the active roster on game days.

He’s already up to 294 yards through seven games with the Texans, and because the Saints have already had their bye week he’ll have 11 games to do so in New Orleans. That comes up to a per-game average of 41.5 rushing yards per game to earn the first $250,000 incentive. For context, Ingram has met that number every year he’s played in the NFL except for 2012, 2013, and 2020 (when the Ravens’ loaded depth chart often kept him sidelined).

Pushing the envelope further to 1,000 will be more challenging. Ingram will need to average 64.2 rushing yards per game the rest of the year with the Saints in order to accomplish that, something he’s done before five times (most recently in 2019). Splitting carries with Alvin Kamara might make it tough for him to get enough opportunities at this stage in his career, but it’s worth noting Ingram averaged 63.2 rushing yards per game next to Kamara from 2017 to 2018.

He may not be looking forward to playing without a bye week — Houston isn’t off until Week 10 — but easing off a full workload as a team’s No. 1 runner, with the prospect of another $250,000 or two in his pocket, has to help make it easier to accept. To say nothing of getting out of a toxic situation in Houston while returning to a friendly locker room.

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Emmanuel Sanders shares what Sean Payton told him after $500K reception

New Orleans Saints WR Emmanuel Sanders shared how Sean Payton congratulated him for his well-earned contract bonus on the Rich Eisen Show.

Emmanuel Sanders had a terrific on-field reaction to the catch that secured a $500,000 contract incentive in Week 17, but his coach one-upped him after the game. The New Orleans Saints wide receiver gushed about his first-year experience on Sean Payton’s team before sharing a quick anecdote about what Payton told him once they were flying home for the playoffs.

“Every morning I walk into work, Sean greets the entire team,” Sanders said during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. “Every morning he’s judging my outfit, because I like to dress up to go to work, right? Every day he’s telling me, ‘That’s a good outfit, that’s a [expletive] outfit, that’s okay and that’s that.'”

Sanders continued, laughing: “So I get the $500 (thousand) and he comes to the back of the plane, just to mess with me, and he tells me, ‘Yeah you got your $500,000, don’t be wearing those bull [expletive] white pants anymore.'”

It’s a great story and does a lot to show how Payton is able to connect with his players, but Sanders used it to illustrate a point. He’s seen two different versions of the Saints coach in his time on the team; one of them is gregarious, a bit of a prankster, and upbeat during the week. And the other side of Payton only appears on game days, laser-focused on the matchup and hyperaware of what’s going on around him, on the sidelines and on the field.

That’s a tough act to balance, and Sanders admitted that not every coach he’s been around has pulled it off. But he’s clearly enjoyed his experience in New Orleans despite the chaos surrounding the 2020 season, and it feels safe to say he’s eager to perform under the bright lights in the playoffs — and come back for more in 2021.

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Chiefs LT Eric Fisher earns hefty bonus for Pro Bowl selection

Fisher got some extra cash because of a Pro Bowl escalator in his contract.

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Former No. 1 overall pick, Kansas City Chiefs LT Eric Fisher was selected to his second Pro Bowl last night after fans voted him as the top left tackle in the AFC. His previous and first career selection came in 2018 after a standout season protecting Patrick Mahomes in the quarterback’s first-year starting.

After some early trouble adjusting to the NFL pace following his selection in the 2013 draft, Fisher has developed into one of the premier players at one of football’s most demanding positions. As such, Kansas City made Fisher one of their highest-paid players in 2016, extending him through 2021 as one of the teams’ top-paid players

Built into the extension was language granting Fisher a $500k bonus per Pro Bowl selection, an incentive he has now cashed in twice with yesterday’s announcement.

Though the incentive money is a relatively insignificant hit on the team’s cap for this season, Fisher is one of several players the Chiefs will need to consider in a cut or trade next season with the cap constricting from to profit losses due to COVID-19.

Fisher’s nearly $15 million cap number for 2021 would yield Kansas City $11.5 million in space if he were to be either cut or traded. With better performance and the overwhelming support from fans in this year’s Pro Bowl vote, the team might consider him untouchable despite their tight financial situation. Fans learned exactly what the offense looked like absent of Fisher after he missed eight weeks with injury in the middle of the 2019 NFL season.

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