Cincinnati Bengals Defender Gets Second Big Raise of the Offseason Thanks to NFL's Performance-Based Pay

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Bengals safety Jordan Battle hasn’t received an extension from the team, but he’s still getting a raise.

The NFL announced its Performance-Based Pay Distributions today, which are really Participation-Based payments.

Under the program, a fund is created to supplement player compensation based upon a comparison of playing time to salary. Players with higher playtime percentages and lower salaries benefit most from the pool.

The NFL awarded bonuses to 25 players, with Battle coming at No. 24 on the list with a boost of more than $1 million – $1,021,703 to be exact.

A third-round pick out of Alabama in 2023, Battle played a career-high 1,006 defensive snaps last season, which ranked 27th in the league.

The raise, Battle’s second of the offseason, will up his 2026 base salary to $4,695,703.

Battle is one of four Bengals cashing in on the league’s Proven Performance Escalator program.

Bengals Chase Brown, DJ Turner II, Andrei Iosivas Also Receiving PPE Raises

Cornerback DJ Turner II, running back Chase Brown and wide receiver Andrei Iosivas also are getting raises.

PPE can be a mix of participation and performance and is eligible for second- through seventh-round picks heading into their fourth seasons.

There are three tiers for PPE, which OverTheCap covers in depth.

The Level One PPE is earned if a player participates in a certain percentage of a team's offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averages that percentage of offensive or defensive snaps over his entire first three years.

For 2nd round picks, the average is 60%, and (as was the same in the 2011 CBA) for 3rd-7th round picks it is 35%.

The Level Two PPE is earned if a player participates in at least 55% of a team's offensive or defensive snaps in all of his first three seasons.

The Level Three PPE is earned if a player is selected to a Pro Bowl on the original ballot (not as an alternate) in any of his first three seasons.

A Level 1 player will make the salary of a restricted free agent original-round tender — about $3.6 million.

Level 2 players will receive the Level 1 salary, plus $250,000 (about $3.85 million)

And Level 3 escalators will earn the salary of a second-round restricted free agent tender, more than $5.8 million.

Battle, Turner, Iosivas and Brown are all projected to be Level 1.

That means Turner, Iosivas and Brown will earn $3,674,000 this season, with Battle getting the extra bump announced today to $4.7 million.

Battle’s original contract called for a 2026 base salary of $2,348,879 million.

Turner’s was $3,070,037.

Brown’s was $1,497,822.

Iosivas’ was $1,304,384.