Trying At Potential Bucs Bonuses | Pewter Report

The Bucs would not have many gamers with efficiency bonus or escalators tied to their contracts. These bonuses and escalators should not included in rookie offers and are hardly ever supplied on one-year offers for veterans and sometimes by no means on veterans signed to be backups.

However for these vet starters on multi-year pacts you may see from time-to-time additional incentives constructed into their contracts to provide them the chance to earns some extra money. From a workforce perspective, these bonuses and escalators are sometimes worded in a manner that they don’t have to be accounted for on the wage cap within the yr they’re earned. These are referred to as “not likely to be earned” bonuses. They’re categorized as such if the participant didn’t obtain the set off for the bonus the yr prior. If he reaches the milestone the workforce could be charged for the bonus on the next yr’s wage cap.

For instance, if a quarterback has a $100,000 bonus for throwing 30 touchdowns, the bonus could be thought-about NLTBE if he had thrown lower than 30 touchdowns within the yr prior. If he had thrown 30 or extra touchdowns the yr earlier than the bonus could be thought-about “likely to be earned” and the workforce must account for it of their wage cap calculations. If he failed to achieve the milestone the workforce would obtain a credit score for the bonus on the next yr’s wage cap.

In keeping with Over The Cap, 4 Bucs gamers have efficiency bonuses or escalators of their present contracts. Right here they’re by participant.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photograph by: USA At this time

Baker Mayfield’s efficiency bonuses are probably the most strong of the group. There are 9 totally different bonus triggers that add as much as $5 million that he can qualify for.

$500,000 if he finishes top-10 within the NFL or top-5 within the NFC in passer score (minimal of 224 move makes an attempt)
$500,000 if he finishes top-10 within the NFL or top-5 within the NFC in touchdowns and both he or the workforce enhance on this space or he wins a participant honor
$500,000 if he finishes top-10 within the NFL or top-5 within the NFC in passing yards and both he or the workforce enhance on this space or he wins a participant honor
$500,000 if he finishes top-10 within the NFL or top-5 within the NFC in completion share (minimal of 224 move makes an attempt)
$500,000 if he finishes top-10 within the NFL or top-5 within the NFC in yards per move (minimal of 224 move makes an attempt)
$750,000 if there’s a workforce enchancment in common web dashing + Wild Card Win (75% playtime)
$750,000 for a Divisional Spherical (75%) playtime
$500,000 for a Convention Championship Spherical win (75%) playtime
$500,000 for a Tremendous Bowl win (75%) playtime

Earlier than we take a look at every bonus, I need to be aware that the landing and yards incentives are particularly worded to maintain them as NLTBE. Final yr Mayfield completed ninth within the NFL in passing yards with 4,044 and seventh in touchdowns with 28. And whereas Mayfield was a Professional Bowler in 2023, he was not an unique choice. He was added after different gamers opted out of the glory video games.

By wording these particular incentives as requiring both the workforce or Mayfield himself as having to enhance or, most certainly be voted to the Professional Bowl or as an All-Professional on the preliminary choice course of, they’re guaranteeing that he technically didn’t qualify for the motivation final yr.

With two video games remaining within the season Mayfield presently ranks sixth within the NFL in passer score (103.5), third in touchdowns (34), fourth in passing yards (3,920), third in completion share (70.9%) and ninth in yards per try (7.7). The Bucs have additionally improved their dashing common from 88.8 yards per recreation to 143.7.

Mayfield seems to be a shoo-in for the passer score bonus. He has already eclipsed his landing complete from final yr and most certainly has the landing bonus sewn up as properly. If he continues his yards per recreation common of 261.3, he’s on tempo to throw for 4,443 yards this season and will earn the yardage bonus.

The completion bonus seems all however within the bag to prime it off. The 2 statistical incentives which can be most within the air are his yards per try bonus, the place he’s presently simply inside the highest 10 within the NFL and outdoors of the highest 5 within the NFC and the dashing enchancment incentive which is tied to a wild card win. Nonetheless, assuming he holds on to the yards per try incentive he’s set to money in a further $2.5 million on prime of the $30 million the Bucs already paid him this yr. That’s not a foul (belated) Christmas bonus!

The very best half for Baker is that the remainder of his bonus alternatives are nonetheless alive as properly relying on the Bucs’ success within the playoffs, ought to they make the postseason.

As a result of all of those bonuses are NLTBE the Bucs must account for the entire bonuses that Mayfield earns on 2025’s wage cap. Which means assistant basic supervisor Mike Greenberg will likely be setting apart $2.5-5 million of the workforce’s projected $25 million in obtainable area for Baker’s bonuses from this yr.

Greenberg and Mayfield aren’t any stranger to this arrange as his 2023 contract had a number of NLTBE bonuses in-built, a lot of which Mayfield was capable of attain.

WR Mike Evans

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and WRs Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan – Photograph by: USA At this time

Mike Evans has 4 bonus alternatives this yr totaling a potential $4 million in extra earnings for the prolific vast receiver.

$666,666 if he finishes prime 10 in receiving yards
$6666,666 if he finishes prime 10 in receiving touchdowns
$666,668 if he finishes prime 10 in receptions
$2 million damaged up into $500,000 items primarily based on the variety of playoff wins the workforce has

Each the receiving yards and landing bonuses are thought-about LTBE as a result of Evans completed ninth in receiving yards and tied for 1st in touchdowns final yr. Whereas Evans has missed 4.5 video games this yr on account of a hamstring damage, he’s nonetheless in play for one in all these incentives.

Evans is presently ranked thirty first within the NFL in receiving yards with 818. He’s 211 yards behind the present tenth place participant Terry McLaurin. It’s unlikely he climbs that far up the ranks in simply two video games, but it surely isn’t absolutely out of the realm of chance. His 57 receptions are 32 behind tenth place Travis Kelce. That does appear a bit out of attain.

However chances are you’ll or could not know that regardless of the missed time, Evans is tied for fifth within the NFL in landing catches with 9. This one seems like it’ll pay out for the longer term Corridor of Famer. And Evans, like Mayfield, nonetheless has $2 million in alternatives obtainable to him primarily based on the Bucs’ playoff fortunes.

And since Evans will not be prone to hit the receiving yards bonus the Bucs could get a $666,666 credit score on their wage cap in 2025.

S Jordan Whitehead

Bucs S Jordan Whitehead – Photograph by: USA At this time

Jordan Whitehead has no bonuses for 2024, however did have 5 efficiency escalators totaling $1.5 million constructed into his two-year contract. Escalators work as wage will increase within the following yr from the place they’re earned. In impact, he had the chance this yr to extend his 2025 wage and roster bonus from $4.5 million to $6 million.

$250,000 for 3 interceptions
$250,000 for 3 interceptions and the Bucs making the playoffs
$250,000 for 3 sacks
$250,000 for 3 sacks and the Bucs making the playoffs
$500,000 for making the Professional Bowl as both a starter or a backup

Whitehead’s season has not gone as deliberate. He has not recorded a sack or an interception this yr and is presently on injured reserve. His observe window to return was opened simply this week so he has an outdoor probability of entering into an everyday season recreation or two, however these escalators nonetheless appear out of attain. Buuuut he did report three interceptions in a recreation as soon as with the Jets.

NT Vita Vea

Bucs DT Vita Vea – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR

Vita Vea has a single escalator constructed into his contract. If he earns it he’ll obtain a bump in his 2025 wage.

$500,000 if he earns a Professional Bowl choice.

Amongst inside defensive linemen, Vea presently ranks ninth in sacks within the NFL and fifth within the NFC with six. He’s additionally eighth within the NFC in quarterback pressures with 41. There’s some stiff competitors for prime honors amongst defensive tackles within the NFC and Vea must get the nod over such stars as Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, Kobie Turner, Jalen Carter and Alim McNeill, who’s presently on injured reserve.

However it isn’t out of the realm of chance for Vea to get a few sacks within the closing two video games to assist his Professional Bowl bid and obtain an elevated paycheck in 2025. As of this writing he presently has probably the most votes on the defensive deal with place for the NFC.

Bucs Paying For Efficiency

The Bucs use these incentives to permit gamers to enhance their monetary outcomes with high-end efficiency. Additionally they use it as a distinct sort of set off to pay gamers in a single yr whereas pushing cap hits into future years the place they’ve extra monetary flexibility.

You possibly can see that in how the workforce worded a few of Baker Mayfield’s incentives for this yr to make sure that irrespective of how properly he performed, they wouldn’t must account for the bonus on this yr’s cap, the place they nonetheless had some giant useless cap hits to pay down. Tampa Bay additionally used these mechanism’s final yr once they had an especially restricted cap place to make sure that lifelong Buc Lavonte David was capable of earn $7.325 million regardless of signing for only a $4.5 million base.

With extensions looming in 2025 for proper deal with Luke Goedeke, tight finish Cade Otton, and doubtlessly cornerback Zyon McCollum together with a possible re-signing of vast receiver Chris Godwin, it isn’t out of the query to see extra of those sooner or later for the Bucs.

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