Giants’ Russell Wilson Has Earned None of $10.5M in Contract Incentives as of Benching

Russell Wilson could be leaving $10.5 million in incentive money on the table if he does not play another game for the New York Giants this season.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier Tuesday that the Giants are planning to bench Wilson in favor of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart ahead of Week 4.

Wilson originally signed with the Giants on a one-year, $10.5 million deal worth up to $21 million with incentives.

Spotrac provides a breakdown of those $10.5 million in incentives, none of which Wilson qualified for during the Giants’ 0-3 start to the season.

For one, Wilson was slated to receive $176,471 for each regular-season win in which he played at least 50 percent of the Giants’ snaps, per Spotrac. A 17-0 season could have netted him $3 million.

The remaining bonuses have to do with Wilson’s full-season stats, including $2.5 million in playing time incentives which will become harder to reach with each game the veteran quarterback sits out.

Wilson was set to pick up $500,000 if he plays in at least 65 percent of the team’s snaps this season.

That incentive increases to $1 million at 75 percent of the Giants’ snaps, $1.5 million at 85 percent and $2.5 million if Wilson passes the 95 percent threshold, per Spotrac.

The quarterback was also offered up to $2.5 million in performance incentives. Those include $500,000 for a passer rating of at least 96 percent and $500,000 for a completion rate of at least 64 percent, per Spotrac.

If he finishes the season with a passer rating of at least 88, Wilson could also can pick up $750,000 for 30 touchdown passes and another $750,000 for 3,500 passing yards, Spotrac reports.

Wilson has so far fallen short of those thresholds, completing 59.1 percent of his passes and receiving a 78.5 passer rating through three games.

With his team now in an 0-3 hole to start the season, Wilson might not have gotten the chance to earn any of his playoff incentives even if the Giants hadn’t reportedly decided to bench him.

Those postseason incentives max out at $2.5 million if Wilson plays in 75 percent of the Giants’ snaps and leads the team to two playoff wins.

The most achievable incentive threshold for Wilson to reach would potentially be the 64 percent pass completion rate, although he also fell just short of that standard during his last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It remains to be seen if Wilson will be able to continue working toward earning some of the incentives remaining on his contract. The likelihood he gets another shot with the Giants could hinge on how Dart handles his first NFL start when Week 4 kicks off Sunday against the undefeated Los Angeles Chargers.

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