Biggest and smallest NFL bonus payments

The top NFL players are among the best-paid in the world of sport and the big names are now signing contracts that run into the hundreds of millions.

However that is far from the norm and many players have salaries much closer to the 2024 minimum, a more modest $795,000 per year. Given that the average career length in the NFL is just three years players are under pressure to make the most of the earning power.

The league’s annual performance bonuses offer a significant bump for players who exceed their contract’s expectations. The NFL describes the Performance-Based Pay program as “a fund is created and used as a supplemental form of player compensation” for those who feature more heavily than expected.

It continues: “Players become eligible to receive a bonus distribution in any regular season in which they play at least one official down. In general, players with higher playtime percentages and lower salaries benefit most from the pool.”

One of the biggest beneficiaries in 2024 was Brock Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who was the final pick in the 2022 draft. He picked up a bonus of $857,842.50 last season, nearly doubling his $985,000 base salary.

However there are five players who managed to break the million-dollar mark with their 2024 bonus payments. In order, those were Jamien Sherwood, Jets ($1.09m); Jaylon Jones, Colts ($1.06m); Michael Jackson, Panthers ($1.04m); Daniel Faalele, Ravens ($1.02m); and Matt Pryor, Bears ($1.02m).

The smallest of the 2024 bonus payments earnt the recipients less than $1,000, typically players who barely featured. The smallest of those went to Shaquil Barrett of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who played 12 snaps in a Week 18 fixture to earn himself $342.58.

The other smallest 2024 bonuses were Evan Hull, Colts ($804); Jordan McFadden, Chargers ($863); Jaret Patterson, Chargers ($917); and Jeff Driskel, Commanders ($981).

Across the 2024 season, the league reports that more than $452 million was paid out in bonuses. Since the Performance-Based Pay system was introduced in 2002 more than $2.8 billion has been shared out to players in the league. It was the result of changes to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and looks set to stay.

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