Bradley Chubb is far from the only Dolphins player with some major incentives on the line in Week 18 — and they all need each other to secure a payout
There’s a whole lot more than pride hanging in the balance for Miami.
Performance incentives will have a chance to come to a head for players across the NFL this weekend. Some such thresholds have been cleared with ease. For the Miami Dolphins, there’s some fine print that has a pretty sizable chunk of cash hanging in the balance for the team’s Week 18 matchup with the New England Patriots.
Surely everyone would much rather be prepping for postseason games — but that’s not in the cards this season. Instead, the qualifying terms of Miami’s performance incentives should give plenty of Dolphins plenty to play for on Sunday in Foxborough.
Dolphins players have nearly $8 million in performances incentives hanging in the balance this weekend
You’ve probably heard ab0ut Bradley Chubb’s incentive money. In a highly publicized move, Chubb renegotiated his contract with the Dolphins last spring to avoid being a cap casualty — he converted approximately half of his scheduled salary into incentives that could be earned back on the field. As we enter Week 18, Chubb could earn in excess of $7 million total — he’s played in every game, with $2.2 million available in per-game bonuses for dressing each week. That’s in the bag. But between his snap percentage and his team-leading 8.5 sacks, Chubb has an additional $5.15 million available to him if the Dolphins finish in the top-2o of the league in scoring defense. They currently sit 3 points behind the Falcons for 20th.
Chubb is not alone on the Dolphins’ defense. LB Jordyn Brooks has $1 million on the line and will lock that in with that same top-20 ranking in points allowed. CB Rasul Douglas has $250,000 in play-time incentives riding on the same stipulation. With a big day against New England, Douglas could earn more, too. With two interceptions on Sunday (Douglas has two this seasons), he would hit a performance incentive for logging four in a season.
Perhaps the most fascinating lingering performance incentive belongs to LB Tyrel Dodson — who has $1.25 million in performance incentives on the line against the Patriots. He must play 85% of more of Miami’s defensive snaps this season to maintain that full amount; Dodson currently sits at 85.5%. But the qualifier for Dodson’s incentives isn’t top-20 in points allowed. According to Spotrac, the Dolphins defense needs to improve ‘Interception/Takeaways’ from 2024. It is currently unknown if that is an “either” or an “and”. If Dodson needs both, Miami’s takeaways this season are up — but the Dolphins enter Week 18 with one less interception to their credit this year (9) than last year (10).
The Dolphins would need one hell of a perfect storm for all of these items to cash this weekend. Going against an MVP candidate in Drake Maye, it feels like a long shot. But now you know what the Dolphins are playing for beyond pride and love of the game. They’ll need all of the above to cash out and steal a final win this season.
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