Sean Rhyan has a lot to play for on Sunday
Since 2020, the NFL has installed a proven performance escalator (PPE) program to better compensate non-first-round players on rookie contracts who play a starting share of snaps for their franchise. For one player, right guard Sean Rhyan, this is a particularly important factor going into the final week of the 2024 regular season.
Under the PPE program, third- to seventh-round players who play at least an average of 35 percent of the available offensive or defensive snaps over their first three years receive an escalated salary in the final year of their rookie deal worth an original draft round restricted free agency tender. In Rhyan’s case, that’s a $1.92 million raise, 136 percent of what he was due in 2025 based on his original rookie deal.
At the moment, Rhyan has played 34.93 percent of the Packers’ offensive snaps over his first three seasons. Thankfully, cap analyst Ken Ingalls has broken down exactly how many snaps Rhyan needs to play versus Chicago to receive this pay bump in 2025. According to Ingalls, Rhyan has to play at least 65 snaps to hit a 35 percent mark over three years. If Rhyan only plays 64 snaps, the guard will make $1.13 million in 2025 instead of $3.05 million.
Currently, the Packers are averaging just under 64 offensive plays per game, so this is going to be a very close call. Green Bay can’t sneak Rhyan on the field for some extra special teams reps, either, as the PPE qualifying snap counts are only calculated from offensive or defensive plays.
Any sort of salary bump Rhyan receives in 2025 would be non-guaranteed money, which would go onto the salary cap but would not count against the Packers if they released the player. For example, former Green Bay guard Royce Newman hit a salary escalator going into last year just to have the Packers restructure his contract to be more incentives-based than salary-based. Ultimately, Green Bay ended up releasing him before the regular season. The dead cap the Packers assumed to release Newman was simply his prorated signing bonus that he received when he inked his rookie deal with Green Bay following his selection in the draft.
Beyond Rhyan, receiver Romeo Doubs, right tackle Zach Tom, defensive end Kingsley Enagbare and left tackle Rasheed Walker have clinched PPE salary escalations for the 2025 season. Tight end Tucker Kraft, receiver Dontayvion Wicks, defensive tackle Karl Brooks and cornerback Carrington Valentine are on pace to do the same in 2026, while safeties Javon Bullard and Evan Williams are on pace for a raise in 2027.