JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Jaguars WR/CB Travis Hunter could earn big-time bonus money through contract incentives for playing offense, defense and special teams, according to an ESPN analysis.
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ESPN’s Dan Grazino said playing on both sides of the ball could help Hunter in the NFL’s performance-based pay (PBP) system, which is designed to give bonuses tied to playing time from the previous season.
Each team gets a set pool of money for PBP, it was $14.128 million per team this past season.
The league’s collective bargaining agreement says each player’s playtime percentage is determined by adding the player’s total plays on offense or defense, as appropriate, plus special teams and dividing that number by the total plays of the player on the team’s roster with the most combined plays for that team.
That means any snaps Hunter plays on defense would be added to his offensive and special teams snaps, but the dollar amount is tied to how much everyone else on the team plays and their respective salaries.
Grazino said if Hunter plays the most snaps of anyone on the team and the PBP pool is around $16 million per team, factoring in his first-year salary and the proration of his signing bonus, he could earn an extra $300,000 or $400,000 next offseason.
While Hunter hasn’t officially signed his rookie contract, contract incentives could boost his total earnings.
According to Over The Cap, Hunter is projected to earn a fully guaranteed $46.65 million over four years, which includes a signing bonus of $30.56 million.
(Click here to read the full article on ESPN)
The Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall draft pick is expected to try and play both ways with the Jaguars, something that has only been done essentially twice in the modern era. He was able to do that with the University of Colorado, shining at receiver and cornerback.
But doing that consistently, more than a season or two, in the NFL would be something the league hasn’t seen regularly since the late 1950s.
Hunter has been getting most of the minicamp and OTA snaps at receiver, working alongside second-year player Brian Thomas Jr. and free agent signee Dyami Brown. On paper, those three players will lead a receiving corps that should be a massive upgrade on last year’s group. But the other piece of the Hunter puzzle is how he fits on defense.
Last week was the first period of heavier lifting on the defensive side of the ball for Hunter.
“It was good. He’s still learning, he’s been learning a ton defensively and offensively, as we know. But that was more so fundamentals, techniques,” Coen said. “It wasn’t a ton of 11-on-11, seven-on, it was fundamentals, techniques, communication. That was kind of what last Wednesday was, and he’s been learning with those guys and meeting with them extra as he’s needed to.”
Can what Hunter wants to do in the NFL be done? The last full-time two-way player in the league was Chuck Bednarik in 1962. There have been players since who have played in spurts on both sides of the ball, but Deion Sanders and Arizona’s Roy Green are the two best comps for what Hunter wants to attempt.