Getty New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers reacting in the middle of an NFL game.
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers finished dead last in the NFL’s annual performance-based pay system.
Adam Schefter of ESPN revealed the details on social media that A-Rod “earned $81.14” which was “the lowest amount among all NFL players last season.”
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers earned $81.14 through the NFL’s performance-based pay system, the lowest amount among all NFL players last season.
The system rewards all NFL players based on their play time and base salary. If a player has a low base salary but plays a significant number…
“The system rewards all NFL players based on their play time and base salary. If a player has a low base salary but plays a significant number of snaps, he earns more through the system,” Schefter explained. “With Rodgers having the opposite — a high salary and playing just 0.33% of snaps due to his torn Achilles — his total amount came to $81.14.”
Schefter Accused of Being ‘Petty’ for Rodgers Tweet
“Oh, you petty,” a social media user said via GIF on X previously Twitter in response to Schefter’s post.
“This year, the NFL compensated players an additional $393.8 million in performance-based pay for the 2023 season. The program compensates players based on their playing time and salary levels with the intent to give additional money to players who performed beyond their contracts,” Nick Wagoner of ESPN explained.
Rodgers may not have received any additional money from the league, but he has gotten plenty from the Jets.
Last year, the former California product earned $36.8 million in cash, per Spotrac. In 2024 Rodgers is scheduled to make an additional $38 million in cash.
Rodgers made a lot of headlines after being traded to the Jets for taking a historic pay cut to help the team. He voluntarily gave up $35 million in guaranteed money.
“It wasn’t really a negotiation, like back and forth, me starting at 50 and them starting at 20 and meeting somewhere. It was an easy conversation, much of it between me and (general manager) Joe (Douglas), just talking about the state of the team, the opportunities that could be out there, that are out there now, that could be out there, and what both sides felt comfortable with,” Rodgers explained to the media via Nick Shook of NFL dot com. “I mean, it was the right thing to do, I felt like. I’m very well paid, so I have no problem with what I’m getting paid.”
Another Jets Player Benefits From Performance Bonus
While Rodgers didn’t get a bonus check in the mail, the same can’t be said for offensive lineman John Simpson.
The former Clemson product was on the other end of the list earning the most money ($975,000) of any player “in performance-based pay” this past season, per The Athletic.
Last year for the Ravens, Simpson made $1.01 million. This performance based pay program is supposed to reward players that play above what they were projected to do based on their contracts.
Simpson ended up winning the starting left guard job in training camp and never looked back. He appeared in all 19 games in 2023 including the playoffs for Baltimore.
This bonus he received “will nearly double his salary” from last year, per The Athletic.
On top of that money, Simpson was handsomely rewarded in free agency for his efforts with a brand new contract for the Jets. He signed a two-year deal for $12 million that included $6 million in guaranteed money.