With the NFL regular season coming to a close, many players are preparing to receive hefty performance bonuses. These incentives would significantly increase their lifetime earnings potential. Of these athletes, Baker Mayfield certainly catches one’s attention with dazzling statistics and highlights, but Aaron Rodgers and others are out to ensure their performance prompts playoff performance incentives. With the stakes now at an all-time high, all players are desperately trying to secure big games over these final weeks.
Baker Mayfield is currently sitting 13th in the league for total passing yards. He’s seventh in the NFC, illustrating his important role in powering his team’s offense. He’s tied for 11th in the NFL with 23 touchdown passes. He joins some illustrious company at this mark, sharing the achievement with great QBs like Aaron Rodgers, Caleb Williams, and Jordan Love. Mayfield’s great effort leaves him squarely in contention for the big bonuses. He has $500,000 in incentives for finishing in the top 10 in the NFL or top five in the NFC for major statistical categories including passer rating, TD passes and completion percentage.
Mayfield’s Bonus Potential
With only weeks left in the regular season, Baker Mayfield has a perfect chance to make the most out of his performance thus far. He can still make an additional $1 million if he produces Pro Bowl-level play during Weeks 16 and 17. This new opportunity comes with a strong incentive to step up his game. In fact, he is now tied for sixth among all quarterbacks in the NFC. That significantly increases the likelihood that he will be able to meet the bonus requirements.
The performance bonuses he stands to gain do focus on social equity improvements and are contingent on measurable performance metrics. He’s shooting for a $500,000 bonus. To achieve that, he needs to be top three in passer rating as a bare minimum while remaining elite in a host of other metrics. As he continues to play at an elite level, these bonuses are more likely to be reached.
Mayfield’s current standing not only reflects his individual skills but his ability to contribute to his team’s success as they vie for playoff positioning. For Mets fans, every game will be as important as he looks to engrain himself among the best of the best in the league.
Rodgers and Darnold Chasing Bonuses
Aaron Rodgers’ focus is firmly on making as much money as possible during his final NFL season. To supplement his income, he has some interesting side hustles. If he leads the Pittsburgh Steelers on a deep playoff run, he could exceed his base salary through performance-based bonuses. Rodgers can make another $750,000 in bonuses for meeting playing time thresholds in games under specific conditions. He needs to play in 50% or more of offensive snaps for these bonuses to start to stack up.
With playoffs approaching fast, every snap is make or break for Rodgers. He’s the player who can help steer the Steelers past the most razor-thin of divisional and conference matchups. Accomplishing either would assure him a playoff appearance and greatly boost his monetary incentives.
Along those same lines, so too is Sam Darnold looking toward some pretty hefty bonuses as 2019 winds down. If the Seattle Seahawks win in that divisional round of playoffs, Darnold would be able to earn as much as $1 million. He can make millions more if the team makes a deep playoff run. He’s got an astounding passer rating of 100.6 and he’s thrown 24 touchdown passes. In addition, he’s slowly moving toward a few performance thresholds that might net him more bonus dollars.
Darnold can earn extra funds based on his playing time percentage as well: $500,000 for 45% of snaps, $750,000 for 55%, and $1 million for 65%. With every game, both on the field and in front of evaluators, deeply impactful in regard to his future paycheck, Darnold knows what’s on the line.
Allen’s Financial Opportunities
Like his on-field counterpart Josh Allen, one of the biggest NFL storylines this season. Like all contracts, he has the opportunity to make an extra $5.5 million in different bonuses. Allen’s contract includes receiving yards and touchdown-based escalators. This provides additional incentive for him to perform well as the season winds down.
His performance to date puts him in an excellent position relative to these fiscal carrots. As the playoffs approach, Allen’s focus will be on not only contributing to his team’s success but ensuring he meets the requirements set forth in his contract.
The NFL categorizes player incentives into two classifications: “likely to be earned” and “not likely to be earned,” which depends on past performances both by the player and the team. This distinction is very important with regards to what players focus their energies on chasing these financial incentives.
“The NFL sorts incentives into two categories — ‘likely to be earned’ and ‘not likely to be earned’ — based on the player and team’s past performance.” – operations.nfl.com
As players prepare for pivotal games ahead, they remain acutely aware of their performance metrics and how they translate into potential bonuses. Every match is a chance not only for glory, but massive financial windfall.
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