The end of the NFL season is a busy time, so Geoff Ulrich has gathered the most important NFL Player Contract Incentives and Player Milestones to track so you don't have to:

We’re all looking at Super Bowl odds, futures markets, injury reports, and awards markets (like the MVP race) to see if there is some value lurking before the season ends. 

Another important situation to monitor for NFL betting and NFL DFS? Player contract incentives.

Breaking Down NFL Player Contract Incentives

If you’re not sure what contract incentives are, or why they’re important, it’s pretty simple.

Some players (often veterans or players coming off of down seasons) will have certain milestones or achievements built into their contract whereby they’ll receive a monetary bonus if they hit that goal.

It gives the players a chance to province their worth (and earn their money) and the teams a way to reward players who produce, without paying up front.

It often goes something like this:

  • Player hits 1,000 receiving yards—receives an extra $100,000
  • Player hits 1,500 receiving yards—receives an extra $250,000 bonus

While not every player is motivated by incentives or even has them in their contract, there are always some big contract incentives that are worth monitoring towards the end of every season—some of which may even determine a player’s role or increase his usage.

With Week 18 typically the big week for looking at incentives, I figured now would be a great time to get a list together where we can monitor some of the biggest incentives out there.

**Below I listed any player with an incentive worth watching, and how far they needed to go to reach that incentive.

**I also listed any player within reach of a potential record.

(So if Player A needs 1,000 yards for a $500,000 bonus and is at 744 yards, I’ll note that he needs 266 yards in his last three games to reach that bonus.)

**One final note, I am not advocating for betting on a player’s over or going “all-in” on them for DFS simply because he needs some sort of arbitrary yardage to reach a bonus. BUT, knowledge is power, and having ready and available milestones to follow as we hit the final weeks is useful information that may be able to provide us with an edge in some spots**

With that out of the way, here are the most vital Contract incentives and player milestones and records to keep an eye on as we head into Week 16. 

**Final note #2: I will update this article weekly until the season ends.

NFL Player Contract Incentives To Track

Saquon Barkley, RB - Eagles

Via NFL.com: “The amount earned from his yardage incentive would also be added to his 2025 base salary as an escalator. In other words, 2,000 combined yards would net him $1 million total.”

  • 2,000 total rush yards = $250,000
  • 1,000 rush yards + NFC Conference win = $500,000
  • 1,000 rush yard + Super Bowl win = $500,000
  • Current leader in OPOY market (-800)
  • Current: 1,688 rush, 276 receiving (1964 total yards)

Barkley already hit a bonus at 1,500 total yards and is about to hit his 2,000-yard bonus—he just needs 36 yards. His next focus will be on securing OPOY and the two playoff bonuses for the NFC Championship and Super Bowl.

Barkley is in the midst of a dream season, but likely won’t have any contract incentives to play for the last three weeks. He will be looking to keep his stranglehold on the OPOY award which should keep him motivated and involved, unless the Eagles somehow secure the first seed before that (which seems unlikely).

Derrick Henry, RB - Ravens

Total of $4M in incentives over two years ($2M per year)

  • 1,500 rushing yards = $500,000
  • 13 total TDs = $500,000
  • 15 total TDs = $500,000
  • 1,000 rushing yards + team wins Super Bowl = $500,000
  • Current: 1,474 yards and 15 TDs

Henry’s almost hit all of his regular-season incentives with three games left so his incentives might actually work against him and cause him to miss a game for rest. He also has a $500,000 Super Bowl incentive and would love to be fresh for the playoffs.

Tony Pollard, RB - Titans

$750,000 total incentives (per season)

  • 1,100 rushing yards = $250,000
  • 7 rushing TDs = $200,000
  • 60 receptions = $200,000
  • Pro Bowl (original ballot) = $100,000
  • Current: 982 rush yards and 5 rushing TDs, 39 receptions

Pollard has a couple of big incentives within reach. He only needs 118 rushing yards to hit 1,100 on the year and is just two rushing TDs away from hitting a $200,000 bonus as well.

He had to leave Week 15 with an injury, but you get the feeling the former Cowboy may be willing to play through some discomfort the next couple of weeks.

If he has to skip Week 16 he’ll have two more chances to get those milestones.

J.K. Dobbins, RB - Chargers

$750,000 in total incentives 

  • 600 rushing yards = $150,000
  • 750 rushing yards = $150,000
  • 900 rushing yards = $150,000
  • 1,050 rushing yards = $150,000
  • 1,200 rushing yards = $150,000
  • Current: 766 rush yards

Thanks to his past injury history, Dobbins had to sign an incentive-laden deal with the Chargers. He was on track to smash most of these out of the water before he got injured, but is now left 144 yards behind his next milestone of 900 yards.

Dobbins can’t come off IR until Week 17 and the Chargers haven’t indicated if he’ll even be ready for that game. If he does play and looks healthy going into the final two games he will have a shot at grabbing that extra $150,000.

Austin Ekeler, RB - Commanders

$1.5M in incentives each season

  • 500 rushing yards = $125,000
  • 750 rushing yards = $125,000
  • 500 receiving yards = $125,000
  • 650 receiving yards = $125,000
  • 55 catches = $125,000
  • 70 catches = $125,000
  • 8 touchdowns = $125,000
  • 10 touchdowns = $125,000
  • Current: 355 rush yards, 4 TDs, 346 receiving yards, 33 receptions

Ekeler actually has a few more incentives than the ones I listed above but he isn’t going to reach them and likely won’t reach most of the ones I listed above either. He’s been out with a concussion since Week 12 and is on IR which means he can’t play until Week 18. 

If he returns for Week 18 he’d need a serious legacy moment to reach 500 rush or receiving yards. It could happen, but seems unlikely.

Mike Evans, WR - Buccaneers

2025 escalator for an extra $3M

  • 70 catches, 1,000 REC Yds, 10 TDs = $3M
  • $500,000 per playoff win (w/ 65% regular-season snaps)
  • Current: 52 receptions, 749 yards, 9 TDs

Mike Evans has some wild stuff going on into the final weeks of the regular season.

First, he does have a $500,000 bonus per playoff win available to him, but it also has a 65% regular-season snap rate attached to it. Since he missed some games, I’m not sure if he can technically reach the 65% snap rate (which I assume is tied to all regular season games).

The big one though, and the one worth watching, is the $3M bonus he has for getting to 70 catches + 1,000 receiving yards + 10 TDs. Just to be clear, he needs to hit all three of those or the $3M doesn’t get paid out. That’s pretty wild.

Evans only needs one TD but needs 18 receptions (6 per game) and 251 yards (83.66 yards per game). The TD's probably a given, but the receptions and yards will take some work.

Just a heads up, he plays the Cowboys in a dome this Sunday Night in Week 16.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR - Saints

$2.25M Incentives (over this season)

  • 25 catches: $250K
  • 350 yards: $250K
  • 550 yards: another $250K
  • 3 TDs: $250K
  • 5 TDs: another $250K
  • 7 TDs: another $250K
  • Current: 16 receptions, 378 yards and 4 TDs

If you’re wondering why Marquez Valdes-Scantling keeps catching TDs this season, here’s your answer. The man is getting about 125,000 per TD at this rate (assuming he hits the next milestone) and can keep on making that cash if he gets to 7 total TDs.

He’ll have trouble getting his next yardage bonus but if he stays stuck on 4 TDs you could see his team give him a few extra end zone targets in Week 18, if the situation allows for it.

Zach Ertz, TE - Commanders

$2M in incentives

  • 60 catches = $250,000
  • 70 catches = $250,000
  • 80 catches = $250,000
  • 600 receiving yards = $250,000
  • 700 receiving yards = $250,000
  • 800 receiving yards = $250,000
  • 6 TDs = $250,000
  • 8 TDs = $250,000
  • Current: 54 receptions, 526 yards, 4 TDs

Zach Ertz bet on himself with his contract this season and it could be about to pay off in the final few games. He needs just six catches to grab a $250,000 bonus (and 16 to trigger another $250,000).

Two TDs between Weeks 16 and Weeks 18 would also trigger another $250,000 and 74 more yards would get him to 600 yards and yet another $250,000 milestone. 

Ertz is in the concussion protocol heading into Week 16 which is poor timing given for where he stands on his seasonal stats.

However, even if he misses a game he’ll have a great shot at reaching at least three milestones.

NFL Player Milestones and Records To Track

Brock Bowers, TE - Raiders

Rookie receiving records

  • Current: 90 receptions 
  • Record: 105 receptions (Puka Nacua; 2024)
  • Needs: 16 over three games
     
  • Current: 968 yards
  • Record: 1,076 yards (Mike Ditka; 1961)
  • Needs: 109 yards over three games

Bowers is within reach of a couple of records, including the most receptions ever for a rookie WR, a record that was set last year by Puka Nacua.

He can also break the all-time rookie TE record for yards in a single season, which was set by Mike Ditka back in 1961. 

The Raiders are going to throw to Bowers anyway because they don’t have a ton of talent, don’t have a great defense, and can’t run the ball.

BUT, if it gets to Week 18 and Bowers still hasn’t hit either of the records he’s chasing, you can be pretty sure they’re going to work extra hard to get him the ball.

I expect him to hit both records, but he will need to pick things up from an efficiency standpoint on the receptions, so that’s something to think about entering the final two weeks.

Looking for more edges in the betting streets? Check out our player prop projections that highlight the biggest edges on the Week 16 slate!

Week 16 Player Prop Projections