Saints DT Has $250K Contract Incentive On Line Vs. Falcons

The New Orleans Saints have one more game to play this season and veteran defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd could end up earning a chunk of change throughout the process.

Week 18 is here and one of the bigger topics of the week will involve contract incentives across the league. There are numerous players in reach of extra cash, including Shepherd. On Friday, NFL Network's Zak Koeppel put together a guide of the biggest incentives to be on the lookout for in Week 18. For Shepherd, he's a half-sack away from cashing in and earning an extra $250,000.

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"Nathan Shepherd: New Orleans Saints·DT (vs.) Atlanta Falcons," Koeppel wrote. "Incentive at stake: $250,000 for 3.5 sacks. Still needs: 0.5 sacks. Shepherd’s three sacks in 2025 have all come since Week 8. But the Falcons have taken just 22 sacks this season, which is tied for the second fewest in the NFL."

The veteran is having a career year

Aug 14, 2025; Carson, CA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd (93) during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams at the Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It's been a good year for the 32-year-old. In fact, he's just a half-sack away from also tying his career high for sacks in a season at 3.5. He's played in all 16 games for the Saints so far this season, including eight starts. He has the three sacks plus, one forced fumble, 47 total tackles, and a career high 13 quarterback hits. His 47 total tackles are just three away from his career high of 50 set back in 2023.

Shepherd is in his eighth season in the National Football League and is on a three-year, $15 million deal with New Orleans. He's under contract next season and will see his cap hit jump from just over $3.6 million to $6.3 million. While this is the case, he has shown throughout the campaign that he's worth the investment. He's having one of the very best seasons of his career to this point and very well could reach the 3.5-sack threshold this upcoming weekend when the Saints conclude their season against the Falcons.

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