GREEN BAY, Wis. – Defensive linemen B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion benefited more than any other Green Bay Packers players in per-game roster bonuses this season.
Both played the 2015 season on one-year deals that contained large weekly bonuses based on being on the 46-man active roster.
Raji played in 15 of the 16 regular-season games and collected an extra $937,500 on top of his $1.15 million base salary because of it. Guion was active for 13 games and received an extra $934,375 (he missed three games because of an NFL suspension) in addition to his $1.5 million base salary.
In all, the Packers paid out $6,356,875 in weekly roster bonuses this year to 15 players. Had all 15 of those players been active for every game this year, it would have cost the Packers $7,635,000.
Most contract extensions or new contracts the Packers sign with veterans contain roster bonuses that will pay players based on how many games they appear in each season. In Raji’s case, his deal was designed to reward a player coming off of injury (he missed all of 2014) while also protecting the team in case he suffered another one.
Here’s a look at how much each player with a weekly roster bonus in his contract collected this season:
Raji ($62,500 per game active): $937,500
Guion ($71,875 per game active): $934,375
Aaron Rodgers ($37,250 per game active): $600,000
Randall Cobb ($31,250 per game active): $500,000
Clay Matthews ($31,250 per game active): $500,000
Julius Peppers ($31,250 per game active): $500,000
Josh Sitton ($25,000 per game active): $400,000
Bryan Bulaga ($31,250 per game active): $375,000
Sam Shields ($31,250 per game active): $375,000
Mike Neal ($18,750 per game active): $300,000
T.J. Lang ($18,750 per active active): $281,250
James Starks ($14,062.50 per game active): $225,000
Morgan Burnett ($18,750 per game active): $206,250
Scott Tolzien ($10,000 per game active): $160,000
Andrew Quarless ($12,500 per game active): $62,500
Sitton also received a $250,000 bonus for making the Pro Bowl.
The biggest loser in the roster-bonus sweepstakes was receiver Jordy Nelson, who had a bonus of $31,250 per game active. His preseason knee injury that landed him on injured reserve cost him $500,000. Still, he collected his full $1.3 million base salary.
Guion’s suspension cost him $215,625 in weekly bonuses, plus another $264,705 from his $1.5 million base salary. The knee injury that landed Quarless on the temporary injured reserve cost him $137,500 in bonuses.
