NFL Incentives Tracker: Sam Darnold Eyes $1 Million, Aaron Rodgers Targets Two Goals in Week 18

Week 18 is always strange. Some teams are resting starters, others are fighting for their season, and quietly, a huge group of players are chasing contract incentives that turn an otherwise normal Sunday into a personal payday. This year, those incentives are very real money, and in some cases, life-changing money.

Sam Darnold sits at the center of it all. The Seahawks quarterback can trigger a clean $1 million bonus with three passing touchdowns and just 150 passing yards against the 49ers. The yardage threshold is almost laughably low in today’s NFL, which tells you exactly how this incentive was structured: the touchdowns are what matter. Darnold already has 3,850 passing yards and 25 touchdowns this season, and with the NFC West still in play, Seattle has every reason to let him keep throwing. T

Aaron Rodgers’ situation is different and far more layered. His one-year deal with Pittsburgh is stacked with incentives worth up to $5.85 million, but only one of them can be achieved this weekend. If the Steelers beat the Ravens and make the playoffs, Rodgers pockets $500,000. That’s it for now. The rest of the money sits behind postseason wins, including $600,000 for a wild-card victory if he plays at least half the offensive snaps, and another $1 million if Pittsburgh somehow reaches and wins the AFC Championship.

Elsewhere, the money starts piling up fast. Keenan Allen has one of the biggest single-game paydays on the board. Against Denver, he can earn $1.25 million if he hits his targets, with six catches unlocking the bulk of it and additional production pushing him over the top. Given how often the Chargers funnel the offense through Allen when games matter, this is one of the more realistic incentives on the slate.

In Carolina, Rico Dowdle already did the hard part. By simply being active for the season finale, he locked in a $1 million bonus. If he finds the end zone against Tampa Bay, he adds another $250,000. On the Buccaneers’ side of that same game, Sterling Shepard is chasing smaller but still meaningful money, needing just one catch and a modest yardage total to cash in another quarter-million.

Tony Pollard has a straightforward path to $500,000 if he reaches 66 rushing yards and scores twice. Saquon Barkley can hit the same number by reaching 87 scrimmage yards, something he’s done repeatedly when Philadelphia commits to him. Dawson Knox is essentially one red-zone target away from turning a quiet afternoon into a six-figure bonus, needing only a touchdown and minimal yardage.

Some incentives don’t come with checks attached but still matter. Caleb Williams is on the brink of history in Chicago, needing 109 yards to break the Bears’ single-season passing record and 270 yards to become the franchise’s first 4,000-yard passer. That kind of milestone doesn’t show up on a game check, but it absolutely shows up in future contract conversations. Williams even acknowledged as much, noting that personal goals matter, but only after winning football games comes first.

There are record chases layered on top of the money as well. Christian McCaffrey is 110 receiving yards away from another 1,000-rushing, 1,000-receiving season, a feat he’s already proven is possible but still rare enough to carry real weight. Myles Garrett needs just one sack to set an NFL record, and he gets that chance against one of the league’s most vulnerable offensive fronts.