Packers believe in workout bonuses' payoff

The Green Bay Packers are scheduled to pay nearly $5 million to 21 players in exchange for their participation in the team's offseason program that starts in less than two weeks.

Workout bonuses have been a hallmark of the Packers under general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy, who like to include bonuses in free-agent contracts to entice veterans to appear in the first three voluntary phases of the program.

Per the collective bargaining agreement, players aren't mandated to attend anything other than the minicamp, which is June 16-18 in Green Bay.

The Packers are on the books for $4.895 million in workout bonuses this offseason, according to a source with access to the NFLPA salary database. That's an increase from a little more than $4.3 million a year ago and a league-high $3.67 million in 2013.

This comes after the Packers paid $13 million in roster bonuses to quarterback Aaron Rodgers ($9.5 million), cornerback Sam Shields ($2.5 million) and linebacker Mike Neal ($1 million).

The language of bonuses can vary, but many include some type of benchmark for percentage of participation. Players who don't have workout language in their contracts earn $175 per day during the offseason program.

This offseason, there are 16 players with workout bonuses valued at $500,000 or more, according to ESPN, and five of them belong to the Packers. Rodgers, Shields, linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers, and receiver Jordy Nelson each will earn $500,000 for their attendance.

All five of the players Green Bay has re-signed — receiver Randall Cobb, tackle Bryan Bulaga, quarterback Scott Tolzien, and defensive linemen B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion — had workout bonuses figured into their contracts.

In fact, every veteran on the Packers' roster with at least four years of experience has the language worked into their contract. That includes long snapper Brett Goode, who'll earn $25,000 for his attendance.

The Packers believe player participation is crucial to the foundation of their draft-and-develop program. It's also a good way to monitor the conditioning of players, especially with the growing number of offseason training facilities.

The offseason program consists of three phases. While a handful of teams with new head coaches started their program this week, the Packers open April 20 with a strength and conditioning program, and physical rehabilitation that lasts two weeks.

The second phase lasts three weeks and includes on-field workouts that may include individual player instruction and drills. No live contact or team offense-vs.-team defense drills are permitted.

The third phase is four weeks and includes OTAs, in which teams may conduct 10 days of organized practice activity with no live contact, 7-on-7, 9-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills. For the Packers, OTAs run May 27-29, June 2-4 and June 9-12.

Based on the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, the offseason program can last no more than 10 weeks with no more than four workouts per week. Teams are not permitted to conduct workouts on weekends.

Injured players who aren't able to participate in workouts still can collect bonuses by reporting and taking part in whatever they are able to.

New York Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, who's seeking a contract extension, made news last week when his agent, Chad Wiestling, announced that Wilkerson was going to continue working with his personal trainer in lieu of attending the team's offseason program.

In 2013, Shields sat out of the entire offseason program after the Packers gave him a second-round tender as a restricted free agent. Seeking a long-term deal, Shields stayed in Florida until signing the tender on the eve of minicamp.

When structuring Shields' four-year, $39 million extension last offseason, the Packers included a $500,000 workout bonus in each year of the new deal. They've taken the same course with every contract valued at more than $8 million per season with the exception of Cobb, who is in line for a $400,000 workout bonus.

This offseason's largest workout bonus of $1,311,600 may go to Dallas defensive end Greg Hardy. The former Carolina Pro Bowler accepted a one-year, incentive-laden deal with the Cowboys after spending most of last season on the league's exempt list after being accused of assaulting his girlfriend, Nicole Holder.

The only other workout bonuses exceeding $500,000 are New York Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Baltimore receiver Torrey Smith, who are scheduled to make $750,000.

Every team handles its offseason differently. According to Over the Cap, there were six teams that didn't include workout language in any player's contract: Atlanta, Denver, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston.

Roster bonus for Raji

The contract defensive lineman B.J. Raji signed last week calls for an additional $1 million in roster bonuses if he's active for all 16 regular-season games next season.

Raji, 28, re-signed with the Packers last week on another one-year contract after missing all of last season with a torn right biceps. His newest agreement includes a $1.15 million base salary, $500,000 signing bonus and $100,000 workout bonus.

That means Raji's $2.75 million cap number is identical to the deal fellow defensive lineman Letroy Guion received last week, but that could change. Guion could be suspended for violating either the NFL's personal-conduct or substance-abuse policies for a Feb. 3 arrest in Starke, Fla.

The deal reportedly includes other incentives that could raise the value of the contract to as much as $4 million, which was how much Raji's previous one-year deal with the Packers was worth before he sustained the season-ending injury in the third preseason game against Oakland.

The Packers have $17,255,142 in salary cap room, which is eighth-most in the league.

— whodkiew@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @WesHod.

Packers 2015 workout bonuses

QB Aaron Rodgers $500,000

LB Clay Matthews $500,000

WR Jordy Nelson $500,000

CB Sam Shields $500,000

LB Julius Peppers $500,000

WR Randall Cobb $400,000

G Josh Sitton $300,000

S Morgan Burnett $300,000

T Bryan Bulaga $250,000

G T.J. Lang $200,000

LB Mike Neal $200,000

K Mason Crosby $150,000

DL B.J. Raji $100,000

DL Letroy Guion $100,000

P Tim Masthay $100,000

QB Scott Tolzien $100,000

RB James Starks $75,000

TE Andrew Quarless $75,000

LS Brett Goode $25,000

DL Khyri Thornton $10,000

TE Richard Rodgers $10,000