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Marc Raimondi
Aaron Rodgers stands to earn a substantial amount beyond his foundational pay this season through incentive payments, should he guide the Pittsburgh Steelers deep into the postseason.
Rodgers is among numerous prominent NFL figures, notably several renowned quarterbacks, positioned to accumulate additional millions in incentive compensation by achieving specific performance or statistical benchmarks throughout the remainder of the current season.
Should the Steelers secure a playoff berth, Rodgers is slated to receive an additional $500,000. A victory for Pittsburgh in the wild-card round would add another $600,000 to his earnings. Advancing past the divisional round would further boost Rodgers’ income by $750,000.
His potential earnings escalate with each successive achievement. Should the Steelers clinch the AFC championship, Rodgers is set to collect an additional $1 million. Claiming a Super Bowl title, which would mark his second career championship, would yield him $1.5 million.
For these financial incentives to activate, Rodgers must participate in a minimum of 50% of the offensive plays during each game. The seasoned 21-year veteran is currently under a single-year, $13.65 million agreement with Pittsburgh, although his official base pay stands at just $3.65 million.
Should the Steelers (9-6) triumph in the Super Bowl with Rodgers under center, the prospective Hall of Fame inductee could accumulate a total of $5.85 million in incentive payments.
While the Steelers have not yet secured their postseason qualification, they currently hold the top position in the AFC North, leading the Baltimore Ravens by two games in the loss column. Pittsburgh has already achieved a road victory against Baltimore and is scheduled to host the Ravens in Week 18. According to ESPN Research analytics, the Steelers possess a 93.4% likelihood of reaching the playoffs and a 44.4% probability of advancing to the divisional round.
Rodgers’ career playoff record stands at 11 wins and 10 losses, exclusively from his time with the Green Bay Packers. He has not participated in the postseason since the 2021 season.
The National Football League categorizes performance incentives into two types: “likely to be achieved” and “unlikely to be achieved,” a distinction based on the historical performance of both the individual player and the team. Incentives designated as “likely” are factored into the current year’s salary cap, with any unearned amounts resulting in a credit for the team in the subsequent year. Conversely, “unlikely” incentives are applied to the following season’s salary cap if they are met.
Presented below are additional incentive clauses that remain in contention over the forthcoming weeks. All information is sourced from the Roster Management System.
Mayfield and the Buccaneers have recently experienced difficulties, having dropped six of their last seven contests. Furthermore, Mayfield, who has been contending with a left shoulder ailment, has not sustained his early-season performance level during this later period.
Nonetheless, the revitalized signal-caller retains an opportunity to activate late-season performance clauses. Mayfield is eligible for a $500,000 bonus if he concludes the season ranked within the top 10 across the NFL or top five within the NFC for any of these statistics: passer rating, touchdown throws, overall passing yardage, completion accuracy, and average yards per pass attempt.
Mayfield’s potential maximum earning from these clauses is $2.5 million, though it’s improbable he will satisfy the requirements across every specified statistical area.
Regarding touchdown completions, Mayfield is currently joint 11th in the NFL, alongside Rodgers, Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears, and Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers, each with 23. This places him one behind Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks. In the NFC, Mayfield shares the sixth spot with Rodgers, Williams, and Love.
For overall passing yardage, Mayfield holds the 13th position in the NFL and seventh in the NFC. He is not expected to achieve the thresholds for the remaining three categories: passer rating, completion percentage, and yards per pass.
Delivering strong performances in Weeks 16 and 17 could allow Mayfield to secure an additional $1 million.
Darnold’s initial contract with the Seahawks incorporates numerous performance-based and team-oriented incentive clauses.
Darnold is eligible for an additional $500,000 if he achieves a passer rating of 100.0 or greater this season, alongside individual $500,000 payouts for reaching 28 or more passing touchdowns, accumulating 4,000 or more passing yards, or recording a completion percentage of 67.5% or higher.
Additionally, Darnold’s incentive payments are linked to the Seahawks’ collective achievements. Should the team conclude the season among the top 10 in the NFL for total offense, Darnold will receive an extra $500,000. He will also be awarded the identical sum for the team’s playoff qualification, which they have already secured.
Significantly larger sums are at stake should Seattle progress further in the postseason. Darnold stands to receive a $1 million bonus if the Seahawks secure a victory in the divisional round, $1.5 million for winning the NFC championship, or $2.5 million if they claim the Super Bowl. Throughout any such playoff advancement, he would need to participate in a minimum of 70% of the team’s offensive plays for these incentives to become active.
Altogether, Darnold has the potential to secure an additional $5 million in incentive payments, supplementing the three-year, $100.5 million contract he inked during the offseason following his departure from the Vikings.
He holds a strong prospect of maximizing these performance escalators. Darnold’s current statistics include a passer rating of 100.6, 24 touchdown throws, 3,703 passing yards, and a 67.2% completion rate. The Seahawks rank eighth in overall offensive production.
Bosa’s single-year contract worth $12,610,000, signed with the Bills during the recent offseason, was structured with numerous performance-based incentives.
A specific incentive in his agreement relates to Bosa’s total number of quarterback sacks. Achieving six sacks would result in an additional $250,000 for him. Should he reach eight sacks, this amount would increase to $750,000. The compensation continues to climb from that point; attaining 10 sacks would earn him an extra $1.5 million, and 12 sacks would secure him $2 million.
Presently, Bosa has accumulated five sacks, leaving him an opportunity to acquire additional bonus funds.
Furthermore, he is eligible for an extra $250,000 for achieving 45% playing time, $750,000 for 55% playing time, or $1 million for 65% playing time. Bosa’s current game participation stands at 64.9%.
His total potential earnings from these incentives could reach $3 million.
Samuel has effectively positioned himself to secure supplementary earnings as the season draws to a close.
Should he attain 700 receiving yards, he would receive $250,000. This amount increases to $450,000 upon reaching 800 yards, or $650,000 for 900 yards.
Samuel’s contract includes comparable incremental bonuses for both receptions and touchdown grabs.
Should he achieve 60 receptions, he will secure an additional $250,000. This sum increases to $450,000 for 70 receptions and $650,000 for 80 receptions. For touchdown catches, eight touchdowns would grant Samuel $250,000. This amount progresses to $375,000 for nine touchdowns, $500,000 for 10, $625,000 for 11, or $750,000 for 12.
As Week 18 approaches, Samuel has already satisfied multiple of these incentive conditions. His current statistics show 70 receptions, 707 receiving yards, and six overall touchdowns.
Allen’s return to the Chargers for his inaugural season is accompanied by a multitude of incentive clauses.
Reaching 40 receptions will award him an additional $250,000. This amount increases by $250,000 for 50 receptions, 60 receptions, and 71 receptions. Should Allen achieve 80 receptions, he would earn an extra $750,000 in addition to previous sums.
Similar to Samuel, Allen’s contract includes tiered incentives based on receiving yards and touchdowns.
Achieving 500 receiving yards would qualify Allen for a $250,000 bonus. This figure would increase by $250,000 at 625 yards, 740 yards, and 875 yards. If Allen accumulates 1,000 receiving yards, he would earn an additional $750,000 on top of the prior incentives.
A total of six touchdowns would secure Allen an extra $250,000. This specific bonus further rises by $250,000 upon reaching eight touchdowns.
The remainder of Allen’s incentive payments are contingent upon the team’s achievements. Should Allen secure 40 receptions and the Chargers qualify for the postseason, he will earn an additional $250,000. This sum increases by $250,000 at both 50 and 60 receptions, also coupled with playoff participation. Allen is eligible for another $250,000 if he reaches 40 receptions and the team competes in the divisional round. This bonus further escalates by $250,000 with 40 receptions and playing in the AFC Championship Game, and again with 40 receptions and appearing in the Super Bowl.
Allen’s maximum potential earnings from incentives amount to $5.5 million, and he is already positioned to receive some bonuses. He currently boasts 73 receptions, 724 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. The Chargers have secured a playoff berth and, according to ESPN Research, hold a 52.2% probability of reaching the divisional round.
During this holiday period, no other prominent athlete is poised to gain more from performance incentives than Chubb, whose potential bonus earnings total $9.6 million.
Chubb is eligible to earn $1.225 million upon achieving 60% playing time. His earnings would increase by an additional $900,000 for 65% playing time; another $900,000 for 70%; a further $900,000 for 75%; and yet another $900,000 for 78% playing time.
A bonus of $1.225 million is available to him for recording six sacks. Furthermore, Chubb would acquire an additional $900,000 for eight sacks, a subsequent $900,000 for 11 sacks, and yet another $900,000 for 13 sacks.
Currently, Chubb has tallied 6.5 sacks and maintained a 71% playing time percentage.
