Agents Take Inside the 2022 performance

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The last couple of weeks of the regular season can create an interesting dilemma for teams that have players with incentives and salary escalators -- the two major types of performance bonuses -- hanging in the balance. Resting a player with money on the line to preserve him for the postseason or to evaluate unproven players on teams out of playoff contention can create friction between the locker room and the coaches/management.I had firsthand experience with this scenario when I was an agent. Pro Bowl wide receiver , who was represented by the sports agency I helped found, had $1.85 million in annual incentives in his contract. Smith needed four catches to earn an additional $300,000 in incentives and 23 receiving yards for his ninth season with 1,000 receiving yards. The Jaguars had a meaningle s regular-season finale because a wild card playoff  Phil Niekro Jersey berth was already secured. Since we represented Jacksonville's head coach, Jack Del Rio, in the latter stages of his playing career, I called him during the week of the finale to let him know what was at stake for Smith in the game.Del Rio a sured me he would take care of Smith. He featured Smith offensively at the beginning of the game so he could make the extra money and reach the personal milestone. Smith played sparingly after catching four pa ses for 46 yards early in the contest.Salary escalators and incentives can be used to bridge the financial gap when there is a disagreement in a negotiation between a player's Danny Santana Jersey  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 usually designed to be cla sified 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  Julio Teheran Jersey 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 a part of a contract's base value. Because of this treatment, they weren't given any consideration.Incentives are preferable to escalators. Triggering an escalator doesn't nece sarily mean that the player will make the increased salary. The escalated amount is rarely guaranteed so teams can still ask the player to take a pay cut or release him without incurring the financial obligation.  There are entirely too many performance bonuses in NFL contracts to recognize them all. Here's a look at 2022 performance bonuses for 20 noteworthy players.Maximum: $1 millionExpected bonus: $1 millionThe 33-year-old announced on Tuesday he is retiring at the end of the season. The two-year, $28 million contract (worth up to $31 million through incentives and salary escalators) Watt signed with the Cardinals in 2021, after the granted his request to be released, is expiring. The $1 million in incentives is based on the three-time NFL  Nick Markakis Jersey Defensive Player of the Year's sack total for 2022. Getting five sacks is worth $500,000. The amount increases to $700,000 and $900,000 with eight and nine sacks, respectively. The entire $1 million is earned with double-digit sacks. Watt has 9.5 sacks this season.Maximum: $1 millionExpected bonus: NoneThe four-year, $160 million contract Prescott signed in March 2021 contains a $1 million incentive each year for the Cowboys winning the Super Bowl. Prescott Freddie Freeman Jersey  also must take at least 50% of Dallas' offensive snaps in the Super Bowl to collect.  Maximum: $500,000Expected bonus: $500,000The Titans moved $2 million of Henry's 2023 base salary into his 2022 compensation while leaving his $500,000 incentive for reaching 1,300 rushing yards intact. Henry hit the 1,300-yard mark in Week15's game against the .Maximum: $8.45 millionExpected bonus: $3.7 millionSan Francisco's plan to trade  Brandon McCarthy Jersey Garoppolo early in the offseason went out the window because an injury to his throwing shoulder during last season's playoffs required surgery in March. The trade market never materialized thanks to Garoppolo's right shoulder injury.Garoppolo surprisingly agreed to a ma sive pay cut from the $25 million he was scheduled to make this season to $7 million with an additional $8.45 million in incentives right before the final roster cutdown to stay with the 49ers as 2020 third overall pick backup. Lance's season-ending broken right ankle early in Week 2's contest versus the put Garoppolo back in the lineup. Garoppolo is currently sidelined because of breaking his left foot against the in Week 13. The 49ers could choose to stick with 2022 seventh-round pick during a deep playoff run even if Garoppolo can return.  Garoppolo has an incentive paying $250,000 for every game in which he participates in Tom Glavine Jersey  at least 25% of San Francisco's offensive plays where there's an additional $100,000 in a 49ers win. San Francisco making the playoffs where Garoppolo's regular-season playtime is 50% or more is worth $500,000. Garoppolo also gets $500,000 if his offensive playtime is 50% or above in the NFC Championship Game and $500,000 more with a win. Playing at least 50% in the Super Bowl is worth an additional $1 million.The 49ers have seven wins in the 10 games where Garoppolo played at least 25%. His playtime for the season after 15 games is 63.23% (614 of 971 offensive snaps).Maximum: $3 millionExpected bonus: $750,000Wagner was intent on coming back home to Southern California after the Seahawks released him in March rather than pay him $16.6 million this year on a $20.35 million salary cap number.  Greg Maddux Jersey He joined the Super Bowl LVI champion Rams on a five-year, $50 million contract worth up to $65 million through incentives.  Wagner has $3 million in annual incentives based on playtime, team succe s and individual honors. There's $250,000 each with 80% or more defensive playtime and the Rams improving on 2021's league ranking in points allowed, total defense and average net yards per pa sing play. Another $500,000 is made with at least 90% playtime with an additional $750,000 for this playtime and making the playoffs. A Pro Bowl selection, which didn't happen, with the Rams improving on one of those rankings, is worth $500,000 instead of the Pro Bowl bonus when both are accomplished. First team All-Pro/All-NFL by the A sociated Pre s, Pro Football Writers of