Money talks in Week 18, and for multiple NFL stars like Sam Darnold, Rico Dowdle, and Saquon Barkley, it’s practically screaming. While playoff seeding and battles for pride capture most headlines, millions in performance bonuses hang in the balance this weekend. One touchdown here, a couple of sacks there; the difference between cashing in and missing out comes down to 60 minutes of football.

Remember Week 18 of the 2021 season? Tom Brady refused to leave a blowout win despite the coaches wanting to pull him. His tight end, Rob Gronkowski, needed one more catch for $500,000. Brady stayed in, threw Gronk a pass for his 55th reception, and immediately sat down with $1 million secured for his security blanket. That’s the energy this weekend. Personal paydays meet team objectives in the most beautiful way possible.

Sam Darnold, quarterback, Seattle Seahawks: $2M
Sam Darnold has four separate $500,000 bonuses staring him down when he goes up against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday. The math is simple, but demanding. Three more touchdown passes get him to 28. Another 150 yards pushed him to 4,000 yards this season. If he can up his passer rating to 100 from 99.18, and pushes his completion percentage to 67.5% from 67.2%, all of that combined gives him a massive $2 million boost.

Rico Dowdle, running back, Carolina Panthers: $1.25M
This might just be the easiest payday for the Panthers’ electric back. Dowdle needs just seven scrimmage yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to secure $1 million. He could trip backwards and still hit that mark. But add one touchdown to that equation, and another $250,000 lands in his account, pushing his season total to $3 million in incentives.

Saquon Barkley, running back, Philadelphia Eagles: $250,000
Philly’s star needs 87 scrimmage yards to add $250,000 to his 2026 payday. Against the Washington Commanders’ porous run defense, that’s more than achievable. Barkley’s been the focus for defenses all season, but he’s still managed 1,140 yards for 280 carries. Unless the Eagles rest him for playoff protection, this might just be money in the bank.

Tony Pollard, running back, Tennessee Titans: $450,000
Pollard has logged four straight games with at least 85 rushing yards. He needs 66 more for a $250,000 bonus. Add two rushing touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and that’s another $200,000 in incentives. The Titans are eliminated from the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean they’ll end the season with a strong fight.

Deebo Samuel, wide receiver, Washington Commanders: $700,000
Samuel has a big payday in store if he can deliver a stellar performance against the reigning Super Bowl champs to close out the season. Ten catches nets $250,000. Hit 93 receiving yards, and that’s $200,000 more. Two touchdowns can add another $250,000 to the pot. That’s a $700,000 payday if he checks every box.

Khalil Shakir, wide receiver, Buffalo Bills: $300,000
Shakir almost had half of this in the bank in Week 17, but lost it to an incomplete pass from Josh Allen on their two-point conversion. Now against the New York Jets, he needs just one receiving touchdown to bag $150,000. And if he can get eight catches in the game, that gets him another $150,000.

Hunter Henry, tight end, New England Patriots: $250,000
With the Patriots going up against the Miami Dolphins, and the No. 1 AFC seed still in play, there’s a lot to ball out for. But if we’re talking money strictly, Henry’s already secured $500,000 this season with 55 catches. Add five more catches to that, and the payday balloons to a crisp $750,000.

That’s all about the biggest incentives for the offensive pieces. But the pass-rush market is also cooking this weekend, and they will not make it a walk in the park for the quarterbacks to help their team get payouts.

Pass rushers aiming for big paydays

DeMarcus Lawrence, the DE for the Seahawks, needs two sacks against the 49ers to bag $500,000. Von Miller, linebacker for the Commanders, needs just one more sack for the same payout of half a million.

Buffalo’s DE Joey Bosa remains just one sack away from $250,000. His teammate Matt Milano, meanwhile, has already gotten $500,000 with his 3.5 sacks on the year. If he can get just 1.5 sacks more in week 18, that doubles his incentive to $1 million for the linebacker.

Arik Armstead, the Jaguars DT, needs 1.5 sacks against the Titans to land $1 million straight up. The Arizona Cardinals DT Calais Campbell is already sitting on a $500,000 bonus, and can double it to a million with just one more takedown against the Los Angeles Rams.

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To be fair, sacks are unpredictable, and a lot has to go their way to reach these payouts. But these stars didn’t get this close by accident. The regular season finale will tell us everything: who cashes in, who falls short, and who walks away with generational money earned through 17 Weeks of grinding.