The NFL is again rewarding players who outperform their contracts with Performance-Based Pay.
The league announced it is distributing $336 million in payouts to players for the 2022 season.
Former Philadelphia Eagles safety Marcus Epps took home the top amount: $880,384. The bonus nearly doubled his salary of $965,000 for the 2022 season.
Epps, who just signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as a free agent, certainly earned his money.
The sixth-round draft choice out of Wyoming played all 17 games for the Eagles. Epps was on the field for all but 10 of their defensive plays. He was in on almost 38% of the Eagles’ special team plays.
Under the program launched in 2002, NFL players have been paid $2 billion cumulatively.
The players picking up these bonuses are typically late-round picks with smaller contracts.
For example, most of the Top 25 players collecting Performance-Based Pay this season are offensive linemen or defensive players.
Naturally, their annual salaries don’t compare to quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers of the Packers ($42 million) and Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs ($32 million). But it’s still a way to reward the hardest workers doing the grunt work.
NFL columnist Ari Meirov describes the beneficiaries as players “with high snap counts and low salaries.” ESPN’s Field Yates noted these bonuses count as player benefits only – and don’t impact the team’s salary cap.
The Top 25
| Rank | Player | 2022 Team | Position | College | Rookie Year | Draft Round | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcus Epps | Philadelphia | S | Wyoming | 2019 | 6 | $880,384 |
| 2 | Cordell Volson | Cincinnati | G | North Dakota State | 2022 | 4 | $854,407 |
| 3 | Luke Fortner | Jacksonville | C | Kentucky | 2022 | 3 | $819,686 |
| 4 | Michael Onwenu | New England | G | Michigan | 2020 | 6 | $813,083 |
| 5 | Jon Runyan | Green Bay | G | Michigan | 2020 | 6 | $790,159 |
| 6 | Andre Cisco | Jacksonville | S | Syracuse | 2021 | 3 | $763,775 |
| 7 | Kevin Dotson | Pittsburgh | G | Louisiana-Lafayette | 2020 | 4 | $746,013 |
| 8 | Tariq Woolen | Seattle | CB | Texas-San Antonio | 2022 | 5 | $742,378 |
| 9 | Dan Moore | Pittsburgh | T | Texas A&M | 2021 | 4 | $739,072 |
| 10 | Michael Jackson | Seattle | CB | Miami | 2019 | 5 | $734,602 |
| 11 | Donovan Peoples-Jones | Cleveland | WR | Michigan | 2020 | 6 | $717,642 |
| 12 | Tashaun Gipson | San Francisco | S | Wyoming | 2012 | UDFA | $708,106 |
| 13 | Robert Hainsey | Tampa Bay | C | Notre Dame | 2021 | 3 | $706,331 |
| 14 | Kader Kohou | Miami | CB | Texas A&M-Commerce | 2022 | UDFA | $705,584 |
| 15 | Myles Hartsfield | Carolina | S | Mississippi | 2020 | UDFA | $705,255 |
| 16 | Talanoa Hufanga | San Francisco | S | Southern California | 2021 | 5 | $703,926 |
| 17 | Jamaree Salyer | L.A. Chargers | G | Georgia | 2022 | 6 | $695,838 |
| 18 | Camryn Bynum | Minnesota | S | California | 2021 | 4 | $694,661 |
| 19 | Logan Wilson | Cincinnati | LB | Wyoming | 2020 | 3 | $669,729 |
| 20 | Trey Smith | Kansas City | G | Tennessee | 2021 | 6 | $663,756 |
| 21 | Damar Hamlin | Buffalo | S | Pittsburgh | 2021 | 6 | $652,470 |
| 22 | Nick Scott | L.A. Rams | S | Penn State | 2019 | 7 | $649,016 |
| 23 | Jake Brendel | San Francisco | C | UCLA | 2016 | UDFA | $643,691 |
| 24 | Josh Myers | Green Bay | C | Ohio State | 2021 | 2 | $638,041 |
| 25 | Duron Harmon | Las Vegas | S | Rutgers | 2013 | 3 | $636,623 |
