Aaron Rodgers received league-low $81.14 in performance-based NFL bonus in 2023

This shouldn’t be a surprise. Aaron Rodgers played fewer snaps than just about any player in the NFL last season. As a result, he was the lowest on the list for a performance-based bonus system.

The NFL paid him $81.14. Yes, the decimal point is in the correct spot and there are no extra zeroes. Maybe Rodgers can use the check to pick up lunch for some friends at a local food truck. But that bonus won’t go far, especially in NYC or in California, where he spends the off season.

So why did he not receive very much money? Simple. He was in on only four offensive snaps. That amounted to .33 percent of the plays for all of last season. Jets fans waited for months through the off season to see their new quarterback debut in the season opener. But his premiere was disappointing and so very brief. Rodgers lasted four offensive plays before he ruptured his Achilles tendon. No amount of cutting edge treatment or rehab could get him on the field again.

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… pic.twitter.com/dldDmr338f

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 2, 2024

While Aaron Rodgers was at the bottom of the performance-based money, Brock Purdy was one of those players at the top. Remember, it’s a combo of things that can cause your bonus check to go up or down. It’s all a happy medium weighted with your actual pay and how much you played. Really active players with league minimum salaries tend to do best.

Purdy, who led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in only his second season, earned a check for $739,795. That almost was as much as his entire pay check of $985,000. He’s still playing under the terms of his rookie contract. And his contract was created for the final player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.

John Simpson, an offensive guard for the Ravens last season, earned the most at $974,613. How’s this for an ironman? He was on the field for all but seven of Baltimore’s offensive plays. The payout almost doubled his money for the season. The Jets signed him this off season. so if all goes as planned, he’ll be blocking for Aaron Rodgers.

The NFL paid out from a pool of $393.8 million. 

Now, don’t feel badly for Aaron Rodgers. Although he played only four snaps with the Jets, he still cashed a hefty pay check. That’s because he was in the first season of a three-year, $112 million contract. Years one and two are fully guaranteed. So he wasn’t sweating the $81.14 check.