HOUSTON – Texans linebacker Christian Harris led the AFC South champions in performance-based pay.
Harris will receive a $524,084 payout under the NFL’s annual performance-based pay program, a collectively bargained benefit compensating players based on playing time and salary levels.
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Former Baltimore Ravens offensive guard John Simpson, a former fourth-round pick from Clemson, leads all players with a $975,613 distribution. NFL players will receive a total of $393.8 million in performance-based pay.
Harris played 69.08 percent of the Texans’ defensive snaps.
His payout was followed by safety DeAndre Houston-Carson ($501,003), center Michael Deiter ($487,135), linebacker Henry To’oTo’o ($463,628), defensive tackle Kurt Hinish ($451,198), wide receiver Nico Collins ($435,036), defensive end Jonathan Greenard ($411,755), safety Jalen Pitre ($404,829), defensive tackle Khalil Davis ($385,507), center Jarrett Patterson ($348,413), wide receiver Tank Dell ($331,11), linebacker Blake Cashman ($312,577), wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson ($306,761) and linebacker Jake Hansen ($280,403).
Players have been paid nearly $2.4 billion cumulatively since the inception of the performance-based pay program, which was implemented during the 2002 season as part of the collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association, and has been carried forward in three subsequent collective bargaining agreements.
Under the Performance-Based Pay program, a fund is created and used as a supplemental form of player compensation based upon a comparison of playing time to salary. Players become eligible to receive a bonus distribution in any regular season in which they play at least one official down. In general, players with higher playtime percentages and lower salaries benefit most from the pool.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.