Looking at how Winston’s contract can jump from $4 million to $8.7 million
Back in March, we did a breakdown of the 1-year, $4 million contract that QB Jameis Winston inked with the Cleveland Browns to be their backup quarterback for the 2024 season. We noted that he also had up to $4.7 million in incentives that he could earn, but the specifics of those details weren’t known at the time. Now, they are.
In an article by Ari Meiov of The 33rd Team, he listed the contract incentives for some free agent signings in the NFL this offseason, including what Winston could earn. Here is a list of the incentives:
Jameis Winston Incentives
| Accomplisment | Incentive |
|---|---|
| 50% of snaps in a game + team wins | $100,000 each |
| 50% of snaps in season + playoffs | $1,000,000 |
| 50% of snaps in Wild-Card Round + win | $250,000 |
| 50% of snaps in Divisional Round + win | $250,000 |
| 50% of snaps in Championship Round + win | $500,000 |
| 50% of snaps in Super Bowl + win | $1,000,000 |
Basically, the only way that Winston can attain the entire $4.7 million is if Deshaun Watson suffers a season-ending injury this offseason, and then Winston posts a 17-0 regular season record and wins the Super Bowl.
That sounds unlikely, but some incentives are certainly attainable. Any regular season game that Winston plays 50% of the snaps in and wins would earn him $100,000. The amounts go up for playoff games. If you look at how many games backup quarterbacks won for Cleveland last year, if Winston had played/won all those games, then it would’ve amounted to $700,000, plus an extra $1 million for taking half the season snaps and getting to the postseason. Overall, it’s a simpler incentive structure than he’s had in the past.
