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Performance-based bonuses for Rams
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17026/performance-based-bonuses-for-rams
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams had a handful of players who contributed more than many would have thought based on their salaries and draft position. Late last week, those players were rewarded for their efforts.
The performance bonus program was installed in 2002 but has since grown by leaps and bounds. As part of the most recent collective bargaining agreement, the league now rewards players with performance-based incentives. The idea is to give players who don't make a lot of money or didn't come in at draft spots with a bigger guarantee a chance to earn more based on how they play.
This year, the pool distributed to players totaled $116.25 million with each team getting $3.633 million to distribute with an average bonus payout of $57.496. All money earned from performance bonuses does not count against the salary cap and is paid out in April.
Pretty much every player on the roster gets some form of bonus, but its primary focus is rewarding lower-paid players who played a lot and contributed.
For the Rams, the obvious top earner was rookie cornerback E.J. Gaines. Gaines emerged as one of the team's most pleasant surprises after entering the league as a sixth-round pick. He not only made the team but ended up as a starter for most of the season, playing 15 games with 70 tackles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and eight pass breakups.
In exchange for those efforts, Gaines led the Rams with a bonus of $308,338.42, which also ranked fifth among all NFL players in terms of bonus. By comparison, Gaines' first-year salary paid him a base salary of $420,000, which means Gaines was able to earn about 73 percent of his salary by way of the performance incentives.
Fellow defensive back Rodney McLeod also checked in high on the list. The former undrafted free agent turned starting free safety got a bonus of $261,611.04 after he started all 16 games with 70 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. His bonus was second-best on the team and ranked 16th in the league.
Other Rams pulling in bigger bonuses include safety T.J. McDonald, tackle Joe Barksdale and running back Benny Cunningham.
Here's the top 10 Rams and the performance bonuses they received for the 2014 season:
CB E.J. Gaines -- $308,338.42
S Rodney McLeod -- $261,611.04
S T.J. McDonald -- $230,318.82
OT Joe Barksdale -- $223,432.73
RB Benny Cunningham -- $167,222.91
QB Austin Davis -- $131,152.41
TE Cory Harkey -- $127,582.02
WR Stedman Bailey -- $115,122.91
LB Daren Bates -- $91,669.57
CB Janoris Jenkins -- $90,754.26
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17026/performance-based-bonuses-for-rams
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams had a handful of players who contributed more than many would have thought based on their salaries and draft position. Late last week, those players were rewarded for their efforts.
The performance bonus program was installed in 2002 but has since grown by leaps and bounds. As part of the most recent collective bargaining agreement, the league now rewards players with performance-based incentives. The idea is to give players who don't make a lot of money or didn't come in at draft spots with a bigger guarantee a chance to earn more based on how they play.
This year, the pool distributed to players totaled $116.25 million with each team getting $3.633 million to distribute with an average bonus payout of $57.496. All money earned from performance bonuses does not count against the salary cap and is paid out in April.
Pretty much every player on the roster gets some form of bonus, but its primary focus is rewarding lower-paid players who played a lot and contributed.
For the Rams, the obvious top earner was rookie cornerback E.J. Gaines. Gaines emerged as one of the team's most pleasant surprises after entering the league as a sixth-round pick. He not only made the team but ended up as a starter for most of the season, playing 15 games with 70 tackles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and eight pass breakups.
In exchange for those efforts, Gaines led the Rams with a bonus of $308,338.42, which also ranked fifth among all NFL players in terms of bonus. By comparison, Gaines' first-year salary paid him a base salary of $420,000, which means Gaines was able to earn about 73 percent of his salary by way of the performance incentives.
Fellow defensive back Rodney McLeod also checked in high on the list. The former undrafted free agent turned starting free safety got a bonus of $261,611.04 after he started all 16 games with 70 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. His bonus was second-best on the team and ranked 16th in the league.
Other Rams pulling in bigger bonuses include safety T.J. McDonald, tackle Joe Barksdale and running back Benny Cunningham.
Here's the top 10 Rams and the performance bonuses they received for the 2014 season:
CB E.J. Gaines -- $308,338.42
S Rodney McLeod -- $261,611.04
S T.J. McDonald -- $230,318.82
OT Joe Barksdale -- $223,432.73
RB Benny Cunningham -- $167,222.91
QB Austin Davis -- $131,152.41
TE Cory Harkey -- $127,582.02
WR Stedman Bailey -- $115,122.91
LB Daren Bates -- $91,669.57
CB Janoris Jenkins -- $90,754.26
