Patriots defensive tackle Lawrence Guy and running back James White both just missed hitting performance bonuses in their contracts, but the team has decided to pay those bonuses anyway.
Guy is getting a $400,000 bonus and White is getting a $250,000 bonus, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Guy’s contract called for a $400,000 bonus if he played at least 50 percent of the Patriots’ defensive snaps. He ended up playing 519 out of the Patriots’ 1,043 defensive plays, meaning he fell just three snaps short. The Patriots figured three snaps over a full season wasn’t enough to quibble over, so they gave him the $400,000.
White’s contract called for a $250,000 bonus if he totaled 1,200 yards from scrimmage. He finished the season with 1,176 yards from scrimmage. Again, the Patriots figured that a difference of 1.5 yards per game over a 16-game season was close enough.
Although the Patriots didn’t have to pay those bonuses, it’s probably smart to do so. A $650,000 hit on the salary cap is tiny compared to the loyalty it engenders when players feel like the team is going to reward them for a solid year, rather than nickel-and-dime them over a few plays or a few yards.