NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It’s not a lot of money, but it buys the Titans a little peace of mind.
Of 15 free-agent contracts where details of guaranteed money are known, 14 include cash tied to availability.
There’s a perception around the league that per-game roster bonuses are on the rise. For John Franklin-Myers, $42,000 a game is nice, but when he’s already got $12 million in signing bonuses and a base salary of $6.3 million, it’s not a major factor.
For Tony Adams, it’s a different story.
He got a $500,000 signing bonus and is scheduled to earn $1.215 million in base salary, per Spotrac. His $25,000 per-game bonus that could total another $425,000 matters a lot more.
Injuries are part of NFL life. That’s why agents will only negotiate so much of a player’s potential earnings into these baskets. Cordell Volson missed last season with a shoulder injury. Understandably, 23 percent of what he can earn with the Titans this year comes in the form of per-game bonuses.
But healthy players aren’t negotiating away that much for an untimely torn ACL, broken foot or high ankle sprain that’s out of their control and could force them to miss games. Cor’Dale Flott’s per-game bonuses amount to just three percent of his potential earnings in 2026, 57 percent of which are already in his bank account.
Before the Titans’ signing spree began, Mike Borgonzi said the front office where he worked his way up in Kansas City certainly used them, and that they’d already used the mechanism in his first year in Tennessee.
Two general managers said at the combine that they like per-game bonuses, but neither leaned on them much in free agency. Pittsburgh’s Omar Khan said the Steelers don’t use them often and are comfortable with their approach.
“I think it's on the rise to a degree, but typically, the better you are and the more higher profile you are, I mean, the less leverage you have (as the team) sometimes,” said Borgonzi’s old boss, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach. “And then those players follow suit with other players, and everyone kind of does the same thing.
"So, I think it's always been the case where it kind of varies when you get to the degree of each and every player. But that's a good question.”
But according to Spotrac, the Chiefs didn’t use per-game bonuses in their three-year, $43 million deal for running back Kenneth Walker or in six other free-agent deals. Only their two lowest-cost signings -- guard Mike Caliendo and running back Emari Demercado -- included them. Each can earn $50,000.
“I don't know, to what percent is it on the rise?” Veach said. “I know it's something that all teams utilize, and we do as well. A lot of it comes down to just kind of the caliber of player, or the tier of player. We're doing it when we can. I mean, that's just one of those things we do.
"And, especially with the guys that have a little bit more injury history, and I mean, there has to be a tradeoff, too, if you're going to give some guy a contract. And, there is a bit of that injury question. And so, I think we always try to implement that. But I think it varies by player and position.”
The Ravens said at the combine they've leaned on them more recently.
But Baltimore didn't use them in Trey Hendrickson’s four-year, $112 million deal, or in the five other, much smaller free-agent deals it has negotiated.
“It's something that we've used probably a little bit more so in the last couple of years,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said. “I do think that with players that potentially have some durability questions or haven't necessarily been as healthy as you'd like them to be, that can be a useful incentive to get them on the field.
“Typically, you're not talking about a lot of money attached to those bonuses, but it's something that we've seen, and that's something that we've used.”
The Titans want to be cutting-edge with their return-to-play rehab and science. They clearly believe adding a bit of financial incentive to the equation can help — or at least help them save money.