Rick Wagner received a nice bonus this offseason.
The third-year right tackle picked up a bonus of $241,690 from the NFL for outperforming his contract in 2014, the league announced. The bonus does not count against the Ravens salary cap.
Wagner's performance bonus ranked at as the 25th-most in the NFL.
The league's performance-based pay program, which distributed $116.256 million this year, rewards players who outperform their rookie contract based on a comparison of playing time to salary. The program was instituted in 2002 as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
As a 2013 fifth-round pick, Wagner was originally signed to a four-year deal worth a reported $2.28 million. As such, the Ravens got him on the cheap in 2014 for a reported $495,000 base salary, which was the 39th highest (tied) base salary on the team, according to Spotrac.com.
Each team is allotted $3.633 million of the performance-based pay, but the league did not announce which other Ravens were given bonuses.
Wagner started the first 15 games of last season before a foot injury landed him on injured reserve. A fifth-round pick in 2013, Wagner won the starting job out of training camp and was one of the Ravens' most consistent linemen throughout the season.
He finished the season ranked as the NFL's third-best right tackle, according to Pro Football Focus.
Wagner is currently rehabbing from the foot injury that ended his season, and his hope is to return in time for the start of the 2015 season.
