It's Week 18, the final week of the regular season. With that comes talk about contract incentives players can reach, tied to statistical marks, etc. We already know about two Detroit Lions players who have some financial incentives in play this year, though in one case it's a boost to a base salary a few years down the road.
We know the Lions are keenly aware of contract incentives players have. There was a concerted effort late in last year's regular season finale to get wide receiver Josh Reynolds over the season-long yardage mark (600 yards) he needed to collect $250,000, as Dan Campbell wanted to make sure a player who exemplified the team's culture got that bonus.
The stakes are very high for the Lions on Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings, literally the difference being the No. 1 seed and the No. 5 seed in the playoffs, but there are some player incentives to keep an eye on too.
Multiple Lions players have contract incentives in play for Week 18
Via Spotrac, here's a look at the Lions players who have contract incentives at stake in Week 18.
DE Za’Darius Smith:
$250,000 for 10 sacks
$500,000 for 12 sacks
$750,000 for 4 sacks
Values double with a playoff berth
Smith has eight sacks this season (zero in the last three games). Spotrac's listing of his contract shows a separate $250,000 bonus for a playoff berth, which he has already earned, but the update above says the incentives for 10, 12 and 14 sacks double with a playoff berth. In any case, Smith has some extra motivation in another revenge game.
DT DJ Reader:
50 percent snaps: $200,000
55 percent snaps: $300,000
60 percent snaps: $500,000
3 sacks: $375,000
5 sacks: $375,000
Reader has already earned the $375,000 for three sacks this season. He is sitting on a 46.2 percent share of the Lions' defensive snaps entering the regular season finale, so the 50 percent mark and another $200,000 is possible.
LB Alex Anzalone:
85 percent snaps: $150,000
Anzalone has been out since suffering a broken left forearm in Week 11, but he's still at 82.5 percent share of the Lions defensive snaps for the season. It's unlikely earning this $150,000 is at all involved in the decision to activate and play him on Sunday night, but he if does play he could get it.
P Jack Fox:
Playoff berth and Pro Bowl: $150,000
Fox has already pocketed this $150,000.
LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin:
25 percent snaps: $100,000
35 percent snaps: $75,000
45 percent snaps: $75,000
After returning from IR last week, Reeves-Maybin is at a 24.9 percent share of the Lions defensive snaps in games he has played this season. Playing on Sunday night should get him the $100,000 for a 25 percent snap share.
CB Amik Robertson:
60 percent snaps: $200,000
75 percent snaps: $200,000
4 interceptions: $200,000
Robertson has zero interceptions this season, so barring a major outlier game on Sunday night that $200,000 is not coming his way. He's at a 54.8 percent snap share this season, but if he plays as much as he has in the two games since Carlton Davis went down with a fractured jaw (98 and 100 percent snap shares), he could get to that 60 percent mark for the season.
Speaking of Davis, he is on a list of Lions' players (John Cominsky, Kalif Raymond, Emmanuel Moseley) who won't be getting to some contract incentives by the end of Week 18. If Davis were not injured, he surely would have earned $150,000 for an 85 percent snap share this season.