Agent’s Take: Inside the 2023 performance bonuses of 15 notable players, including Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield

The Seahawks needed the Lions to beat the Packers in the 2022 regular-season finale to make the playoffs. The outcome of the game had extra significance for Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. He had already earned $1 million of playtime incentives in his contract. The earned amount was going to double to $2 million with the Seahawks making the playoffs. Seattle got the NFC’s last wild card spot thanks to Detroit’s 20-16 win over Green Bay.

Incentives are usually designed to be classified as not likely to be earned (NLTBE) so that they will not count against the salary cap when a deal is signed. Generally, any incentives with higher thresholds than the player’s or team’s statistical performance in the prior season qualify as NLTBE. The most frequent categories for individual achievement are playtime or based on the player’s primary function (i.e.; rushing yards for a running back). Coupling an individual achievement with a team statistical performance also makes an incentive NLTBE. If earned, a team will incur a salary cap charge for most incentives after the playoffs end. Incentives are typically paid in February or March, following the season in which they are earned.

Per game roster bonuses are treated as incentives under the salary cap even though they are calculated as part of a contract’s base value. Because of this treatment, they weren’t given any consideration.

Salary escalators and incentives can be used to bridge the financial gap when there is a disagreement in a negotiation between a player’s agent and the team on the player’s value. Incentives are also a way for a player taking a pay cut to make back some or all of the money he is losing through the salary reduction. 

Incentives are preferable to escalators. Triggering an escalator doesn’t necessarily mean that the player will make the increased salary. The escalated amount is rarely guaranteed so teams can still ask the…

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Author : Joel Corry

Publish date : 2023-12-20 22:29:21

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