Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict Leads NFL In Performance-Based Pay

Bengals rookie linebacker Vontaze Burfict earned an NFL-high $299,465 in the NFL's performance-based pay program, a source with knowledge of the payout distribution confirmed to "Shutdown Corner" on Wednesday. Off-field issues at Arizona State dropped Burfict out of the 2012 NFL Draft and the Bengals were able to sign him to a three-year undrafted rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $1,000 for a first-year cap number of $390,333. Burfict had a team-high 127 tackles while playing in 82.96 percent of the team's defensive snaps, which set him to do very well in a poorly-named program that rewards players with high playing-time percentages and low cap numbers. Each team had $3.46 million to divide among their players, though four teams (Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets) had reduced amounts due to excess payouts in 2009, the previous year this program was in place. Source: Yahoo! Sports