T.Y. Hilton earns major bonus following Dallas Cowboys wild card win over Tampa Bay

When the Dallas Cowboys added T.Y. Hilton to the roster heading toward the postseason, the goal was to turn him into another key target for quarterback Dak Prescott. The move has played out well for the Cowboys so far, and it’s also paid out well for the former Colts star.

After playing in at least 30% of the team’s snaps on Monday night, Hilton earned a $100,000 bonus. Considering the $100,000 is 12.5% of his annual base salary, it’s certainly a nice check for a night of work.

Hilton posted two catches on four targets for 23 yards in the 31-14 win over Tampa Bay. The two catches brought his total in four games up to nine with 144 yards. He has yet to score in a Cowboys uniform, but that could be coming in the divisional round versus San Francisco.

If the 11th-year veteran plays 30% of the snaps in the divisional round, he’ll get an additional $150,000 in bonus money. That bonus goes up by $50,000 for each round. If Hilton helps the Cowboys reach the Super Bowl, he could almost double his salary.

Hilton signing paying dividends for Dallas

The Cowboys signed Hilton to a one-year, $800,000 deal a little over a month ago. The deal included $600,000 guaranteed and $700,000 in bonus incentives.

Hilton, now 33 years old, has warned opponents not to underestimate him.

“Just because my age says I’m 33, it doesn’t mean I can’t still run. And I put it on tape today. So I look forward to getting better,” Hilton said. “I’m ready if they want me to play 40 or 50 plays. I can do it. So it’s up to them. I’ll be ready no matter what.”

Dallas and head coach Mike McCarthy have been trying to steadily increase Hilton’s role in the offense. He received the fourth-most targets on Monday night behind Dalton Schultz, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.