The Bucs would not have many gamers with efficiency bonus or escalators tied to their contracts. These bonuses and escalators are usually not included in rookie offers and are hardly ever provided 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 crew perspective, these bonuses and escalators are sometimes worded in a method 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 more 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 crew 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 “more likely to be earned” and the crew must account for it of their wage cap calculations. If he failed to achieve the milestone the crew 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 present
Baker Mayfield’s efficiency bonuses are probably the most sturdy of the group. There are 9 completely 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 ranking (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 crew 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 crew 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 proportion (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 crew 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 wish 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 honour video games.
By wording these particular incentives as requiring both the crew 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 at the moment ranks sixth within the NFL in passer ranking (103.5), third in touchdowns (34), fourth in passing yards (3,920), third in completion proportion (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 ranking bonus. He has already eclipsed his landing complete from final yr and most certainly has the landing bonus sewn up as effectively. 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 high it off. The 2 statistical incentives which can be most within the air are his yards per try bonus, the place he’s at the moment simply inside the highest 10 within the NFL and out of doors 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 high of the $30 million the Bucs already paid him this yr. That’s not a nasty (belated) Christmas bonus!
One of the best half for Baker is that the remainder of his bonus alternatives are nonetheless alive as effectively 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 should account for the entire bonuses that Mayfield earns on 2025’s wage cap. Meaning assistant basic supervisor Mike Greenberg will likely be setting apart $2.5-5 million of the crew’s projected $25 million in accessible 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 in a position to attain.
WR Mike Evans
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and WRs Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan – Photograph by: USA At present
Mike Evans has 4 bonus alternatives this yr totaling a potential $4 million in further earnings for the prolific vast receiver.
$666,666 if he finishes high 10 in receiving yards
$6666,666 if he finishes high 10 in receiving touchdowns
$666,668 if he finishes high 10 in receptions
$2 million damaged up into $500,000 items based mostly on the variety of playoff wins the crew 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 every of these incentives.
Evans is at the moment 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 you might or might 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 would pay out for the long run Corridor of Famer. And Evans, like Mayfield, nonetheless has $2 million in alternatives accessible to him based mostly on the Bucs’ playoff fortunes.
And since Evans just isn’t more likely to hit the receiving yards bonus the Bucs might get a $666,666 credit score on their wage cap in 2025.
S Jordan Whitehead
Bucs S Jordan Whitehead – Photograph by: USA At present
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 at the moment on injured reserve. His follow window to return was opened simply this week so he has an outdoor likelihood 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 at the moment 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 may be some stiff competitors for high honors amongst defensive tackles within the NFC and Vea should get the nod over such stars as Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, Kobie Turner, Jalen Carter and Alim McNeill, who’s at the moment on injured reserve.
Nevertheless it isn’t out of the realm of chance for Vea to get a few sacks within the ultimate two video games to assist his Professional Bowl bid and obtain an elevated paycheck in 2025. As of this writing he at the moment 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’ll be able to see that in how the crew worded a few of Baker Mayfield’s incentives for this yr to make sure that irrespective of how effectively 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 after they had a particularly restricted cap place to make sure that lifelong Buc Lavonte David was in a position to 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’s not out of the query to see extra of those sooner or later for the Bucs.
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