Steve Spagnuolo’s addiction to Chamarri Conner is going to cost the Kansas City Chiefs more than it already has
Chiefs S Chamarri Conner & LG Kingsley Suamataia both are among the top performance based pay earners for the 2025 NFL season.
Kansas City Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo’s preferences at safety and nickel corner during the 2025 NFL season has come back to cost the team.
The NFL announced its performance-based pay distributions for the 2025 NFL season on Monday, Mar. 16. Essentially, the CBA gives players an opportunity to earn bonus compensation based on their playing time. It typically benefits players with lower salaries and higher playing time percentages. These fall outside the scope of the salary cap and are classified as player benefits.
The league announced the top 25 earners, with two Chiefs players on the list. At No. 19 is Kansas City’s starting LG Kingsley Suamataia, who played more snaps than anyone not named Creed Humphrey in 2025. As a result, he earned an extra $1.067M.
That’s not a particularly steep price for a former second-round draft choice, who exceeded expectations as a starter on the offensive interior in Year 2 after a very rough rookie campaign. The other player who made it on the list for K.C. might be a bit tougher to swallow.
NFL Performance-Based Pay Quick Facts
- What is it: A performance-based pay program and CBA benefit that compensates all players commensurate with their playing time and salary levels.
- 2025 Total PPE Payout: $542 million
- Formula: Playtime ÷ Compensation
Chiefs DB Chamarri Conner was one of the 2025 NFL season’s top PBP earners
Coming in at No. 9 on the list is Chiefs S Chamarri Conner. He’ll earn an extra $1.15 million after playing 1,116 combined snaps, which should mark the second consecutive year in which he’s earned a level one PPE bonus. The former fourth-round pick out of Virginia Tech in 2023 played more defensive snaps than any other player on the team in 2025, splitting time between safety and the slot. Some of that high usage was necessary after Chris Roland-Wallace went down with an injury.
Why is this one tough to swallow? Well, the word “performance” in performance-based pay is a bit of a misnomer. It equates performance with players receiving more playing time, because if they’re playing as lower-salary players, it means they’re likely exceeding expectations. Conner was not particularly good during the 2025 NFL season, especially when he was deployed in the slot. According to Pro Football Focus, Conner allowed 56 receptions on 68 targets for 638 yards and three touchdowns last season. He allowed a 114.6 passer rating when targeted in 2025. He had flash plays, like a few sacks and an interception, but the 2025 NFL season really highlighted his shortcomings in coverage.
Had the Chiefs not played Conner as frequently in the slot (391 snaps) and gone with Trent McDuffie more frequently (134), they might have avoided having to pay out this portion of their performance-based pay pool to No. 27. In the long run, maybe it turns out to be a good thing. It could signal to them that they need to dial back Conner’s usage a bit and have him play the majority of his snaps at safety during his contract year. In the end, this doesn’t hurt the team’s salary cap, but on the matter of principle and rewarding players based on performance, it didn’t feel earned. It also precludes a proven performance escalator bonus, which will count against Kansas City’s salary cap.
Kansas City Chiefs News
Justin Fields can be more than just the Kansas City Chiefs’ new backup QB in 2026 if he’s willing to go the extra mile to win
Justin Fields can be so much more than a backup QB for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2026 if he dares to dream.
