Hogs Haven
The Athletic (paywall)
McLaurin’s contract includes $9.4 million in upside, with incentives and an escalator. There are three performance-based incentives in each of the three new years of the deal (2026-28) that could double in value:
The maximum McLaurin can earn each year in performance incentives is $1.8 million.
There is also an honors-based incentive for 2025-28. McLaurin will earn $250,000 per year if he’s selected to the original Pro Bowl team (not as an alternate).
The escalator is also honors-based, but just for the three new years of the contract. McLaurin will get $500,000 if he’s selected first- or second-team All-Pro in prior seasons of the contract. So, if he’s named an All-Pro in 2025 and 2026, then his 2028 salary would escalate by $1 million. The maximum additional value from salary escalation is $3 million ($500,000 in 2026; $1 million in 2027 with two All-Pro nods; and $1.5 million in 2028 after three).
Then there are the bonuses. McLaurin can earn up to $850,000 if he’s on the active game day roster for all 17 games ($50,000 per game). That’s a total of $3.4 million over the life of the contract.
McLaurin can also get $500,000 in each of the three new years of the deal if he participates in voluntary offseason workouts.
And then there are the 90-man roster bonuses, tacked on to the final two years of the deal. If McLaurin is part of the offseason roster in 2027, he’ll collect $850,000. If he’s part of the offseason roster in 2028, McLaurin would get another $4 million. But there’s a kicker with both roster bonuses: McLaurin won’t earn either until April 1 of that year.
The April 1 trigger date is a 49ers staple that general manager Adam Peters brought with him to Washington. San Francisco often uses April 1 as the end date to exercise option bonuses, as the vesting date for guarantees and as the earn date for 90-man roster bonuses.
Look at the three-year deals linebacker Frankie Luvu and center Tyler Biadasz signed last year with the Commanders. Both have April 1 as the vesting date for guarantees and the earn dates for roster bonuses. So does the deal of tight end John Bates.
Close to half of McLaurin’s signing bonus ($14 million) doesn’t vest until April 1, 2026.
The partially guaranteed $5.35 million of McLaurin’s 2027 salary doesn’t fully vest until April 1 of that year.
And the 90-man roster bonuses in ‘27 and ‘28 don’t vest until April 1 of those respective years.
Using April 1 allows the Commanders to get...
