The Cincinnati Bengals found a new quarterback to lead them on a playoff run despite Joe Burrow's injury. After Jake Browning struggled in relief of Burrow, the Bengals were in dire straits and needed to find a new starter.
They swung a rare intra-division deal with the Cleveland Browns, landing Flacco to be their starter. While they didn't beat the Green Bay Packers, Flacco, in his second game for the Bengals in the 10 days since being traded, led a comeback win over the Pittsburgh Steelers to keep the Bengals' playoff hopes alive.
But the Flacco trade isn't just good for the Bengals; it's been huge for Flacco's wallet. As ESPN's Dan Graziano reports, the contract details for Flacco's deal mean the veteran quarterback can earn upwards of $2 million in incentives if he continues to lead the Bengals to wins in Burrow's absence.
How Bengals' Joe Flacco can earn $3 million if Cincinnati continues to win
There are a few reasons why Flacco's contract can reach upwards of $2 million in incentives. The first thing that Graziano points out is that "One of them is a per-game incentive bonus that will pay him $75,000 for every game in which he plays at least 50% of his team's offensive snaps and the team wins the game, but that doesn't kick in until the fourth such occurrence."
For every win that Flacco gets with the Bengals, Flacco could earn $75,000. But, between his win with the Browns and his second with the Bengals, Flacco still needs to secure two more wins before he can have this incentive trigger.
His next win, if, for example, he beats the New York Jets in Week 8, he won't earn the $75,000 incentive. But any win after that, the Bengals quarterback would earn $75,000 per win.
While unlikely, if the Bengals go undefeated the rest of the year and Flacco plays every remaining game with at least 50 percent of the snaps, he could earn $675,000 in incentives.
There are a few other key incentives that Flacco could hit to further increase his contract this season. Aside from the aforementioned incentive, Flacco would also earn some extra money if he plays a certain percentage of offensive snaps and if the Bengals make the playoffs.
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"Flacco's contract also says he can make up to $3 million in addition to incentives tied to playing time and success." Graziano writes. "If he plays between 60% and 69.99% of his team's offensive snaps, he gets a $500,000 bonus. If he plays between 70% and 79.99%, that bonus increases to $1 million. And if he plays 80% or more, it goes up to $1.5 million."
And that's not all. If the Bengals make the playoffs and Flacco reaches any of those incentive benchmarks, his bonuses would double. While Flacco isn't hurting for cash, it's a great way for the Bengals starter to continue to increase his payday.
Flacco has revitalized the Bengals' season, and with his incentives tied to his contract, he could be paid a nice bonus as he continues to help the Bengals stay alive in the playoff race. Even if Burrow comes back, Flacco could still earn some extra money thanks to his efforts during the middle of the year for Cincinnati.
Flacco has the Bengals alive in the playoff race, with a chance to overtake the Steelers for the AFC North title well within reach. The Flacco trade has worked out great for the Bengals, and Flacco can earn upwards of $3 million if he continues to thrive with Cincinnati.
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