Buffalo Bills Star Earns Seven-Figure Payday Amid Offseason

Torrence received $1,091,163 in performance-based pay, according to the league’s announcement, ranking 17th among all players. Torrence appeared in all 17 games for the Bills this past year, allowing three sacks and one quarterback hit, according to Pro Football Focus . He also helped clear the way for the NFL’s leading rusher, James Cook.

Torrence has been available for all 51 regular-season games of his young three-year career, allowing just six sacks, including a sack-free 2024 season.

How it’s calculated

The NFL’s performance-based pay system is financed through a fund created as a “supplemental form of player compensation,” with playing time and salary as the primary factors weighing into the amount each qualifying player receives.

“Performance-Based Pay is computed by using a player index [‘Index’],” explains an article published on NFL.com. “To calculate the Index, a player’s ‘PBP Playtime’ [defined as the player’s regular season total plays played on offense, defense and special teams, divided by the number of plays in which the player with the most total combined plays participated on that team] is divided by his ‘PBP Compensation’ [defined as each player’s regular season full salary, including his prorated portion of signing bonus, and earned incentives].

"Each player’s Index is then compared to those of all other players on his team to determine the amount of his Performance-Based Pay.”

In short, the system is set up for players who record ample playing time while performing on low salaries to gain more value from their performance.

Future is bright

Torrence is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is a candidate to receive a contract extension this offseason. The 26-year-old expressed his desire to continue his playing career in Buffalo during his season-ending press availability.

“It’ll mean a lot, of course. I mean, that’s why you play the game, to be able to get paid the big bucks,” said Torrence. “So I mean, being able to get that done after my third year would be amazing, but also understand that it’s a business, things always go the way you want, and you gotta wait and be patient for what’s getting down the road. And if I got to do that, to stay here longer or whatever, I’m willing to do that.”

Torrence is set to make $3.8M in base salary while his 2026 cap hit is $4.3M.