Baker Mayfield on the Week 18 roster

Get good grades and earn dinner at your favorite restaurant. Get your tasks done and stay up late on Friday night. Eat your vegetables and then enjoy dessert.

The bottom line is that incentives rule the world and in most cases each comes at a price.

That’s not to say that people don’t do things out of the goodness of their hearts, but a little incentive can go a long way.

It’s the same in the NFL. There are 32 teams across the country, offering varying roster situations, depth charts, teammates, playing time, salaries, tax brackets and much more. In a negotiation, embellishing the pot could make an offer more attractive.

This gives the player something to strive for throughout the season and helps the team ensure the player has a reason to compete each week.

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As we approach the final week of the NFL regular season, the bill is coming due for every team. You don’t have time to procrastinate anymore because the deadline to fulfill these incentive bonuses is Sunday evening. Combine that with some achievable milestones, and there’s a lot to gain in the final week of the regular season.

Here are some players from around the league who can pad their stats and pockets in Week 18.

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2024 NFL contract incentives

Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers QB

The Bucs quarterback is set to earn $500,000 if Tampa Bay advances to the wild-card round and would earn another $500,000 for each subsequent round after that. Tampa Bay reaches the postseason with a win over the Saints in Week 18.

Mayfield can also make an additional $500,000 per stat if he remains in the top 10 NFL quarterbacks or top 5 in the NFC in the following categories: passer rating, touchdown passes, passing yards, completion percentage or yards per pass. The maximum is $2.5 million, bringing Mayfield’s potential incentive earnings to $5 million if he hits those stats and wins the Super Bowl.

Mike Evans, Buccaneers WR

Like Mayfield, Evans can hurt the Bucs’ wallet with a solid performance on Sunday. He has 65 catches, 915 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. That leaves him just five catches and 85 yards shy of a $3 million bonus, which will be triggered if he totals 70 catches, 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those 85 yards would also ensure Evans maintains his streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons, something he accomplished in his first ten seasons. He could also tie Jerry Rice’s record for most consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons with 11.

Seahawks QB Geno Smith

Smith’s contract is interesting. The quarterback will receive $2 million for each category in which he sets a new career high: passing yards (4,282), passing touchdowns (30), completion percentage (69.755) and passer rating (100,874). Smith will also receive $2 million if he wins 10 games or his team makes the playoffs.

He only needs 186 passing yards to earn that bonus and would earn another one if he kept his current 70.2% completion percentage above 69.755%. While the Seahawks are out of playoff contention, a Week 18 win against the Rams would net Smith another $2 million, meaning he could make $6 million with a solid performance on Sunday.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray

Even if Murray’s season ends in disappointment, that doesn’t mean he can’t take home a consolation prize in the form of a $750,000 check. The quarterback enters Week 18 with 550 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, putting him in position to earn a large incentive bonus. Murray will collect the big check if he manages 600 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, meaning he only needs 50 yards and a score to cash in.

Fittingly, his best rushing performance of the season came against the 49ers, the Cardinals’ Week 18 opponent. The quarterback rushed for 83 yards and a score in early October, making this incentive very realistic. Murray could buy himself a lot of gaming gear and “Call of Duty” in-game currency with $750,000, so keep an eye on this box score.

DeAndre Hopkins, Chiefs WR

It was an exciting season for Hopkins, who split his season between Tennessee and Kansas City. He’s been inconsistent overall, but still has a chance to capitalize on his performance in Week 18 if KC lets him play. Hopkins is nine catches and 140 yards short of claiming $250,000 in bonuses for each category, which are likely out of reach, but just one touchdown short of receiving a $500,000 check for his sixth touchdown of the year.

Courtland Sutton, Broncos WR

As for incentives, Sutton has already earned $1 million for exceeding the 500- and 750-yard thresholds this season, but could increase that total in the Broncos’ final regular-season game. If the receiver collects three touchdowns and Denver secures a playoff spot, he will earn $200,000. However, the more likely scenario is that there are 82 total receiving yards this season and then there are 1,065. Sutton would earn $500,000 for that performance, the final rung on the receiving yard’s incentive ladder.

JK Dobbins, Chargers RB

After several injury-plagued seasons, Dobbins signed a one-year contract with the Chargers last offseason. The deal was full of incentives, meaning Dobbins still has plenty to play for in Week 18, even though LA has already secured a playoff spot. He enters the final week of the regular season with 842 rushing yards, just 58 of them to earn a $150,000 bonus. He’s already racked up $300,000 in incentives for reaching over 600 and 750 rushing yards, but 1,050 and 1,200 are likely out of reach for the running back.

Tony Pollard, Titans RB

After missing Week 17 due to illness and an ankle injury, Pollard has a lot of work ahead of him in Week 18 to earn incentives if he plays. The running back is 83 rushing yards shy of 1,100 yards, which would earn him a $250,000 bonus. Pollard could also earn another $200,000 for seven rushing touchdowns, meaning he would need two on Sunday to reach that mark.

Zach Ertz, Commander TE

As of Sunday night in Week 17, he has already collected $750,000 in incentive bonuses, but Ertz isn’t done yet. With another good performance in Week 18, the tight end could still climb the incentive ladder. He is nine catches away from 70, which would trigger a $250,000 payout. Ertz is also 90 yards shy of 700 and two touchdowns shy of eight, each of which would also result in a $250,000 check.

NFL Milestones Week 18

Aaron Rodgers needs one touchdown (vs. MIA) for 500 career TD passes.
Saquon Barkley (vs. NYG) needs 101 rushing yards to break Eric Dickerson’s 1984 rushing record. (The Eagles are likely starters in Week 18).
Mike Evans (vs. NO) needs 85 receiving yards to match Jerry Rice’s record of 11 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Ja’Marr Chase (at PIT) leads the NFL Triple Crown race with 117 catches, 1,612 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Malik Nabers (at PHI) needs five more catches than Brock Bowers (against LAC) on Sunday to set the record for most rookie receptions.

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Baker Mayfield on the Week 18 roster

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