Jets safety Jordan Whitehead earned $250K bonus after 3 interception night

The buzz generated from the Jets-Bills game was all about Aaron Rodgers. But Jordan Whitehead turned in a career evening to help his team knock off Buffalo.

Whitehead intercepted three passes thrown by Bills quarterback Josh Allen. And in doing so, Whitehead earned an incentive in his contract worth $250,000. It’s nice to get that goal out of the way in game one, right?

NFL reporter Field Yates confirmed the bonus, adding that Whitehead was “arguably the most impactful player on the field during an unusual Week 1 opener.”

We’d put Xavier Gipson on the impactful list, too. After all, Gipson returned a punt 65 yards in overtime to give the Jets a victory that seemed so improbable after Rodgers went down with an Achilles injury.

It’s extremely rare for a player to hit an incentive in Week 1 of the regular season, but Jets S Jordan Whitehead did exactly that.

His 3 interceptions earned him a $250,000 bonus.

Arguably the most impactful player on the field during an unusual Week 1 opener. pic.twitter.com/hQEIqCtVY1

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 12, 2023

Each of Jordan Whitehead’s interceptions were devastating to the Bills’ cause. He intercepted one pass in the endzone, another at the Jets 4. His final pick set up his team’s winning touchdown.

Jets coach Robert Saleh harkened back to last year when talking about Whitehead’s performance to kick off this year’s season.

“He was outstanding. He’s been outstanding,” Saleh said of Jordan Whitehead. “He was four dropped interceptions away from having an All-Pro year last year. He caught ’em all today, he’s got great instincts in the box, and his range is better this year, his ability to get from red line to red line. We have great confidence in him. He’s an outstanding safety and he has been.”

The Jets signed Whitehead as a free agent in March 2022. He started his career with the Bucs, helping Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl win in February 2021.

The last Jet with an interception trifecta was Ty Law, who, coincidentally, picked off the three against the Bills in a 2005 game. The last safety to pull off the achievement was Erik McMillan. He did so in 1988 against future Hall of Famer Dan Marino.

Jordan Whitehead picked off Josh Allen last year, too. He also dropped a potential pick, so you could say Whitehead matches up well with the Bills QB. Allen is being super generous with the league’s defensive backs. He’s thrown 32 interceptions in his last 35 regular season games.

And that total didn’t include post-season miscues. In the Bills’ opening playoff game against the Dolphins back in January, Allen threw two interceptions and fumbled three times, losing one of them. Against the Jets, Allen also lost a fumble to go along with Jordan Whitehead’s three picks.

“I was trying to force the ball,” Allen told reporters after the game. “Same s***, same place, different day. I hurt our team tonight. I cost our team tonight. This feels eerily similar to last year and I hate that it’s the same. I do.”