2025 NFL Contract Incentives: Sam Darnold, Rico Dowdle and More Incentives To Track

The end is here. We've made it to Week 18, which means it’s do-or-die time for everyone’s favorite season: 2025 NFL contract incentives SZN. NFL players are just like us. It doesn’t matter how much you’re already making; who doesn’t want to pick up a few extra bucks?

Fortunately, all this information is available to us. Which players have the most to gain over the final weeks of the year? Let’s dive in.

Last week, we broke down the contract incentives players are chasing as we approached the final two weeks of the season. What follows are their incentives they are chasing along with the progress they made towards those goals last week, and what each player needs to accomplish entering Week 18 to earn an additional payday.

Quarterback Contract Incentives To Monitor

We don’t normally think about quarterbacks during #incentiveSZN. After all, they already have the ball in their hands for every play. It’s not like they can throw the ball to themselves, so it really just comes down to how the plays are called.

Still, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for a coordinator or head coach to skew the passing plays a bit heavier down the stretch to get their QB a couple of extra dollars. There are only really a few guys who stand out in this department this season.

Sam Darnold

Darnold is the No. 1 QB to watch from an incentives standpoint. He can earn an extra $500k apiece if he gets to 28 passing touchdowns and 4,000 passing yards. He’s currently sitting at 25 passing touchdowns and 3,850 yards, so he’s looking for three touchdown passes and 150 yards in his Week 18 showdown vs. the 49ers. Given how porous the 49ers’ defense has looked recently, that’s well within the realm of possibility.

Unfortunately, Darnold has gone in the wrong direction in his other incentive categories. He has two additional $500k incentives for a 100 Passer Rating and a 67.5% completion percentage, and Darnold has gone backwards in both categories over the past few weeks.

Add it all up, and no one has more to play for in Week 18. Not only are the Seahawks battling for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but Darnold has the potential to earn an additional $2M with a big performance. Darnold has struggled in big games in the past, but perhaps this is when he finally puts the ghosts to bed for good.

Baker Mayfield

Mayfield’s contract incentives aren’t quite as cut and dry. He can earn $500k if he finishes in the top five in the NFL in passer rating. He can also earn $500k apiece if he finishes in either the top 10 in the NFL or top five in the NFC in completion percentage or yards per attempt. Here’s how he fares in those departments after Week 17.

Passer Rating: 91.7 (18th in NFL)
Completion Percentage: 62.8% (24th in NFL; 14th in NFC)
Yards per Attempt: 6.7 (25th in NFL; 14th in NFC)

Those all feel like long shots at the moment, but Mayfield has another way to earn some additional dollars. He has two incentives of $500k apiece: he needs to finish in the top 10 in the NFL or top five in the NFC in passing yards or passing touchdowns, while improving in one major statistical category from last year. Those categories include passer rating, completion percentage, interception rate, total yards, yards per attempt or touchdown passes.

Unfortunately, Mayfield is simply not playing good football at the moment. He was dreadful in a huge Week 16 matchup vs. the Panthers, and he struggled once again vs. the Dolphins in Week 17. The Bucs are merely fighting to get into the postseason at this point, so Mayfield’s incentives shouldn’t be a priority.

Running Back Contract Incentives To Monitor

Rico Dowdle

Dowdle has been a massive success for the Panthers this season, and he’s already cleared a few statistical hurdles to earn himself an extra $1.75M. That said, he still has a few major marks left to clear that could result in an even larger payday.

The biggest bonus is $1M for getting to 1,350 scrimmage yards. He added another 63 scrimmage yards to his ledger in Week 17, leaving him just seven yards short of 1,350 for the year. The Panthers haven’t leaned on him quite as heavily in recent weeks, but he should still be able to put that away pretty early in Week 18. Dowdle is also looking for one more score to get to eight for the season, which would earn him an additional $250k.

Those are the last two statistical marks for Dowdle to reach, but he can earn a final $500k bonus by earning a Pro Bowl selection. Unfortunately, Dowdle did not make the initial NFC Pro Bowl squad, losing out to Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey and Bijan Robinson. Maybe he can still make it as a replacement down the line, but it seems as though he’s going to come up short in that regard.

Javonte Williams

Let’s move from the Cowboys’ previous running back to their current one. Like Dowdle, Williams has been a smashing success for his new squad. He’s having the best season of his career by a wide margin, and he’s already earned a bonus for getting to 12 touchdowns. He earned another $250k for reaching 1,250 scrimmage yards, which he achieved in Week 16.

Nick Chubb

Chubb has fallen behind Woody Marks in the pecking order in the Texans’ backfield, and he sat out the team’s Week 15 win over the Cardinals. The Texans are currently fighting for the top spot in the AFC South, so finding some extra opportunities for their banged-up backup RB might not be super high on their priority list.

Chubb has a few different chances to earn some extra money down the stretch. He’s currently sitting at 472 rushing yards, and he earns his first bonus at 600. He gets another at 800, so it’s something to keep in mind if the Texans look to rest Marks down the stretch. The Texans are locked into a playoff spot, but they still have a chance to win the division in the final week. They would need a win over the Colts and a loss from the Jaguars vs. the lowly Titans.

Chubb likely had his best chance to take care of business in Week 16. Not only was he facing the Raiders, but Marks was also out with an injury. Unfortunately, Jawhar Jordan got most of the opportunities in his stead. Chubb finished with just 33 rushing yards, and with Marks back in Week 17 vs. the Chargers, Chubb saw just one carry for one yard. It’s still possible that the team rests some starters in Week 18, but even in that scenario, it seems like Jordan would be the next man up at running back.

Kareem Hunt

It is going to be a weird end to the year for the Chiefs. They have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, and Patrick Mahomes suffered a devastating torn ACL at the end of their Week 15 loss vs. the Chargers. Gardner Minshew tore his ACL the following week, leaving Chris Oladokun as the team’s starter in Week 17.

Hunt has surprisingly been the Chiefs’ top running back this season, and he can pick up a few additional dollars if he maintains that role down the stretch. He’s currently at a 48.0% snap share, and he gets another $125k if he can get to 50%. He also has bonuses for getting to 750, 905 and 1,000 scrimmage yards, and he’s at 719 following Week 17.

Hunt took a backseat to Isiah Pacheco in Week 16, but he did see a 57% snap share and 44% carry share vs. the Broncos last week. Hunt wasn’t very productive with those opportunities, but it was against a tough defense. His final matchup vs. the Raiders is much easier, and if the Chiefs use him the same way they did last week, he could definitely clear 750 yards for the season.

Saquon Barkley

This has not been the year that Barkley was hoping for. He’s taken a major step back in basically every category across the board, and he’s not going to hit most of his lofty contract incentives.

However, he does pick up an extra $250k if he can get to 1,500 scrimmage yards. He entered Week 17 on a bit of a hot streak, tallying 366 scrimmage yards over his previous three games. That put 1,500 yards well within his sights.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t perform at the same level last week vs. the Bills. He logged just 68 scrimmage yards in that contest, leaving him with 1,413 for the year. That leaves him 87 yards away, which is very doable if he suits up in Week 18.

It remains to be seen if Barkley will be in the lineup. The Eagles are currently third in the NFC, but they could move up to No. 2 if they beat the Commanders in Week 18 and the Bears lose their final game to the Lions. Is that something worth playing for? I’m not sure, but I would expect the Eagles to err on the side of caution with their star running back. He’s carried a tremendous workload since landing in Philly, so a bit of rest before heading into the playoffs can’t be a bad thing.

Tony Pollard

It has not been a great year for the Titans, but some big recent performances from Pollard have put him in the range of some statistical milestones. He gets $250k for 1,100 rushing yards and another $250k for seven rushing TDs, and he’s up to 1,034 rushing yards and five scores heading into Week 18.

Pollard continues to split the snaps pretty evenly with Tyjae Spears, but he had 69% of the team’s rushing attempts in Week 17. He’s at 68% since Week 11, so he should get another handful of opportunities in his final game of the year. Unfortunately, he’ll be facing a tough Jaguars defense that needs a win to lock up the division. It’s possible, but it’s going to be easier said than done.

Wide Receiver Contract Incentives To Monitor

Khalil Shakir

Shakir hasn’t been quite as good for the Bills this year as he was in 2024-25, but he’s still been the team’s best receiver overall. He has a few different escalators in play down the stretch:

Receiving Yards: 719; Bonuses at 900, 1,000, 1,100 and 1,200
Receptions: 72; Bonuses at 80, 90, 100 and 110
Receiving Touchdowns: Four; Bonuses at five, six, eight and 10

Unfortunately, Shakir might be out of time. The Bills officially lost the division in Week 17, so they’ll have to head on the road for Round 1 of the postseason. They have very little to play for at this point, and with Josh Allen dealing with some injuries, it’s very possible that they give the starters the week off in Week 18.

Nico Collins

Collins is one of the league’s best receivers, and he had an outside shot at some incentives down the stretch. He needed to get to 95 receptions and/or 1,460 receiving yards, but two straight subpar showings have made those basically impossible. He’s up to 71 receptions and 1,117 yards for the year, so he’d need to go absolutely nuclear vs. the Colts to get there.

Hollywood Brown

Brown has not been a huge factor in the Chiefs’ passing attack since Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy have gotten healthy, but he did enough early in the year to put himself in position to cash in down the stretch. He’s currently sitting at five receiving touchdowns, and he would get a $250k bonus for numbers six and seven. He already picked up a $500k bonus for getting to 500 receiving yards (currently 523), with an additional $125k for 625 and 750. Brown had just one catch for seven yards on Christmas, and with Oladokun under center, he’s a long shot to make any more progress in Week 18.

Keenan Allen

Allen was a late signing for the Chargers this offseason, and he has some big incentives baked into his contract. He has a good shot at earning a decent chunk of them.

He’s already earned $750k for getting to 60 receptions, and he earned an additional $250k for his 71st. The bigger payday would come if he could get to 80. He gets $750k for his 80th reception, and he's sitting at 74 catches heading into Week 18.

Allen also has some yardage and touchdown escalators to play for:

Receiving Yards: 741 currently; $250k for 750, $250k for 875, $750k for 1,000
Receiving Touchdowns: four currently; $250k for six and eight

While he’s not getting to 1,000 yards or eight touchdowns, he still has plenty at stake if he suits up in Week 18. Unfortunately, the Chargers have already locked up a playoff spot, and they have little to play for in their final game of the year. They could finish anywhere between fifth and seventh in the AFC, but whether or not that’s enough to get their starters on the field in Denver remains to be seen.

Stefon Diggs

Like Allen, Diggs is another veteran receiver with an incentive-laden contract. He has some big escalators built in for receptions and receiving yards. He’s already cleared his first two hurdles of 70 and eight receptions—good for $500k apiece—and he has the potential for a bit more if he suits up in Week 18:

Receptions: 82 currently; $500k bonuses for 90 and 100
Receiving Yards: 970 currently; $500k bonuses for 1,000, 1,100, 1,200, and 1,300

Like many of the other receivers on this list, how much we’ll see Diggs in Week 18 remains to be seen. The Patriots have already clinched the division, but they are theoretically still in play for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They would need a win in Week 18 vs. the Dolphins and a Broncos loss to the Chargers, but that is at least theoretically possible. We’ll see if Mike Vrabel sends his starters out for a full workload against the Dolphins.

Mack Hollins

What a tough break for Hollins. He officially landed on IR in Week 17, which means he won’t be able to get to 50 catches for the year. He needed just four over the final two weeks to do so, and with the way he’d been playing, that seemed like a mere formality. Hollins did at least earn $600k for reaching 40 receptions, and if the Patriots make a deep playoff run, it’s possible we see him later this season.

Sterling Shepard

The Buccaneers might be the team best known for incentives. Rob Gronkowski famously had a few big incentives in his final season with Tom Brady, while Mike Evans hit some big milestones down the stretch last year.

While Evans and Chris Godwin both have plenty of incentives in their current contracts, they’ve missed too many games for those to really be a factor. Shepard is the only member of the team with a realistic bonus up for grabs. He’ll earn $125k if he can get to 40 receptions (39 currently) and an additional $125k if he gets to 400 receiving yards (371 currently).

However, with the Bucs’ receiving corps as healthy as it’s been all season, Shepard hasn’t gotten on the field the past three weeks. He was inactive in Weeks 16 and 17, and with the Bucs fighting for a spot in the playoffs, he could get the same treatment vs. the Panthers.

Deebo Samuel

It has been a bit of a lost season for the Commanders. They made a surprise run to the NFC Championship game last season, and they made some big additions this offseason to try to make it back. Unfortunately, they’ve been unable to overcome injuries to Jayden Daniels, who has been limited to just seven games. He hasn’t been nearly as effective even when he’s been in the lineup, with the team limping to a 2-5 record in his starts.

Samuel was one of the team’s marquee additions, and he still has a chance to make some incentives down the stretch. Samuel did manage to secure two passes for 68 yards in Week 17, which at least earned him his first bonus for 700 yards (707 currently). He could pick up another $200k if he can get to 800 and an additional $400k if he gets to 900. Those feel unlikely, but they’re at least possible.

Samuel also recorded his 70th reception in Week 17, which officially checked the first box on that escalator. The next level comes at 80 receptions.

Finally, Samuel is still sitting on six touchdowns, and he has bonuses built in for each touchdown from eight through 12. The door is open for Samuel if he can post a huge game in Week 18, but #IncentiveSZN has not gotten off to a good start for him.

Tight End Contract Incentives To Monitor

Dawson Knox

Knox is not a huge part of the Bills’ passing attack, but he has very reasonable incentives built into his contract. The biggest one is related to playing time. He earns a $650k bonus if he’s on the field for more than 60% of the team’s offensive snaps, and he’s currently hitting that mark at 60.9%.

Knox’s incentive outlook saw a big jump in Week 17 with Dalton Kincaid out of the lineup. He caught five passes for 30 yards vs. the Eagles, which officially got him above 30 catches for the year. He could earn an additional bonus for 40 receptions, and he would need six in Week 18 to clear that hurdle.

Knox is also now seven receiving yards shy of 400 for the year, and he’d earn an additional $100k for checking that box. We’ll see if he gets the opportunity to do so in Week 18.

Hunter Henry

Henry has some of the biggest incentives at tight end down the stretch. He has a receptions escalator that offers some big potential payouts:

Receptions: 55 currently; $250k bonuses at 50, 55, 60 and 65.

If he can climb all the way up the ladder, that would be an extra $1M in his pocket. He’s already cleared the first two hurdles, though his three catches in Week 17 were slightly disappointing. Still, getting five receptions in his final game would be very possible if he’s in the lineup.

Juwan Johnson

Johnson has been an extremely reliable pro for the Saints, and he officially cleared all his remaining statistical hurdles in Week 17. He’s now up to 74 catches and 828 receiving yards for the year, which earned him an additional $750k.

Players Mentioned in this Article

SamDarnold
QBSEA
PPG
14.09
Proj
15.45
BakerMayfield
QBTB
PPG
15.47
RicoDowdle
RBCAR
PPG
10.93
JavonteWilliamsQ
RBDAL
PPG
14.08