Recently, ESPN (and others) reported that the New Orleans Saints had instituted a "bounty" program. This program awarded players for inflicting game-ending injuries against the opposing teams and awarded different amounts of money depending on the type of injury. These types of individual player incentives are obviously deemed illegal by the NFL.
However, there have incentives written into player contracts regularly regarding total number of team wins, playoff wins, interception totals, sack totals, total number of yards rushing/passing or touchdown totals. As recently as March of 2012, San Francisco 49ers Linebacker Ahmad Brooks signed a contract extension that included incentives for wins and sacks.
Brooks has a base salary of $4.3 million in 2013 which is guaranteed for injury at the time he signed the deal. That becomes guaranteed for skill and cap if he’s on the roster April 1 of that year. However, the guaranteed portion can be reduced up to $2.5 million that year if he does not achieve certain sack totals.
In 2014, Brooks has a base of $5.15 million, with $4.95 million becoming guaranteed for injury and skill if he is on the roster on April 1. However, that guaranteed total and base salary can be reduce by up to $2.5 million based on his 2013 sack production.
Brooks can void all de-escalators in the contract if the 49ers win 12 games, he has 93.2 percent playing time that season and San Francisco plays in the conference championship game, or if he has two prior seasons of 12 sacks or more.
Is this contract legal by rules of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (or just general NFL League Policy)? If so, what types of individual player incentives are allowed or disallowed?
