GREEN BAY, Wis. — How much is two snaps worth to an NFL player? For Green Bay Packers guard Sean Rhyan, it’s more than $2 million.
Had he been on the field for two additional plays at any point in his first three NFL seasons (2022-24), Rhyan would have qualified for the proven performance escalator. That would have meant his 2025 base salary would have jumped to $3.406 million rather than the $1,363,571 he will earn under his original rookie deal.
That’s a difference of $2,042,429 — all because he came up two snaps short of hitting the 35% mark called for in Article 7, Section 4 of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
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It states that if a player selected in Rounds 3-7 (Rhyan was a third-round pick in 2022) “participated in a minimum of 35% of his Club’s offensive or defensive plays in any two of his first three regular season or participated in a ‘cumulative average’ of at least 35% of his Club’s offensive or defensive plays over his first three regular seasons” then he would qualify for the raise, which is essentially equal to what a restricted free agent tender would be the upcoming season. Here’s how Rhyan missed out:
• In his rookie season, he appeared in only one game but did not play a single snap on offense. He played one snap of special teams, which is not used in the calculation. According to data from the NFL Players Association and the league, which is used to calculate the percentages, the Packers had 1,094 offensive plays.
• In 2023, he played 183 snaps combined at right guard and left guard in a backup role out a possible 1,096 plays (16.7%).
• Last season, when he became a starter for the first time, he played 961 of a possible 1,082 offensive snaps (88.8%). During the first half of the season, Ryan split snaps with 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan. However, after Morgan was lost for the season due to a shoulder injury following Week 9, Rhyan played full time — except for eight snaps in the second quarter of the Week 14 game at Detroit. He left the game after a collision with Detroit Lions linebacker Kwon Alexander but returned to finish the game.
• In all, it meant Ryan played in 1,144 of a possible 3,272 offensive snaps for the Packers over the past three seasons — or 34.952% of the plays from 2022-24. At least he didn’t miss by one snap. An additional play would have only gotten Ryan to 34.983%.
Rhyan’s agent, Cameron Foster, said he believed Ryan had reached the 35% mark because of published snap counts online. For example, according to Pro Football Reference’s snap counts, which are unofficial and not used by the NFL or the NFLPA, Rhyan would have qualified. Its count had Rhyan playing 1,146 of a possible 3,272 snaps (35.003%).
“[We had] him at 35% of snaps exactly,” Foster told ESPN. “However, the NFL and NFLPA both had him just under. So, per the Packers they are not giving him the escalator. We are pretty disappointed about it for sure.”
A source with knowledge of NFL contracts said some contracts contain specific language about not rounding up when it comes to statistical marks for incentives or escalators. The Packers couldn’t just give Rhyan the raise even if they wanted to. They would have to extend his contract in order to change his 2025 pay, which also would have salary cap implications and also could impact future extensions should they decide to retain him behind this season.
Rhyan’s original rookie contract was a four-year, $5.12 million deal that included a $905,712 signing bonus. However, he lost out on $235,000 of his base salary as a rookie because he was suspended for six games after being found in violation of the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
In March, Rhyan was awarded an additional $697,006 in additional compensation through the NFL’s performance-based pay program. That was the third-highest payout on the team behind left tackle Rasheed Walker’s $925,612 and right tackle Zach Tom’s $849,141. Each team had a pool of $14.128 million that is distributed based on playing time and salary levels. It rewards players with lower salaries who play significant roles on the team.
Rhyan is expected to compete for a starting job again this season at right guard. He could face competition from Morgan, who also is expected to battle Walker at left tackle.
