The NFL has really had it in for Detroit Lions safety Brain Branch in 2024. He’s been fined six times this year for a grand total of $60,768. That is a lot of lettuce and there could be more with a fine potentially coming from the Lions’ game against the 49ers.
The good news is that thanks to Branch being voted into the Pro Bowl on the original ballot, he’s about to make all that money back and then some.
The NFL has a mechanism in the contracts of players drafted in the second-round and beyond called Proven Performance Escalators. There are three levels to this.
Level 1: If the player participated in a certain percentage of snaps for two of his first three seasons, or averaged that through three years. The percentage is 60% for second-rounders or 35% for later picks.
Level 2: If the player participates in at least 55% of the team’s offensive/defensive snaps in each of his first three seasons. New salary: amount of the original draft round RFA tender + $250k.
Level 3: If the player is an original Pro Bowl selection in any of his first three seasons. New salary: amount of the second-round RFA tender (projected by OTC to be $5.217 million).
By making it into the Pro Bowl, Branch hits the third level and will receive a hefty pay bump in 2026. These PPEs hit in the player’s fourth season. Branch still has one more year to go before he can collect on this, but it’s his. That’ll cover the fines.