- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,129,469
- Reaction score
- 59
Although rookie contracts are dictated by the wage scale, which structures deals based on where a player is drafted, the NFL gives Day 2 and 3 picks the opportunity to earn raises through proven performance escalators (PPE).
Those raises come in the fourth and final year of their original contract if a player hits certain playing-time thresholds or makes the Pro Bowl. For the Los Angeles Rams, five players earned themselves big raises in 2026 for their contributions the last three seasons, per Over The Cap.
Impressively, no other team in the NFL had more than four players from the 2023 draft earn proven performance escalators, so the Rams were tops in the league in that category. Here’s a look at the five Rams who earned salary bumps in 2026, four of them being significant raises where their pay more than doubled.
Salary change: $1.2 million to $5.7 million
Nacua made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and 2025, which qualifies him for the third level of proven performance escalators. That means his salary is raised to the same value of the second-round tender for restricted free agents, more than quadrupling his pay for the 2026 season – assuming he doesn’t sign a contract extension for an even bigger raise.
Salary change: $1.8 million to $5.7 million
Like Nacua, Young was also a Pro Bowler in 2025, bumping his pay up to the second-round tender value. He more than tripled his salary from $1.8 million to $5.7 million. Only five players on the Rams’ roster have a higher base salary in 2026 than Young and Nacua.
Salary change: $1.7 million to $3.9 million
Turner qualifies for Level 2 of the proven performance escalator because he played at least 55% of the defensive snaps in each of his first three seasons. His base salary is now worth the value of the original-round tender, plus an additional $250,000. That more than doubles his pay from $1.7 million to $3.9 million.
Salary change: $2.9 million to $3.6 million
Avila is a Level 1 PPE-earner for averaging at least 60% of the offensive snaps across his three seasons. He barely missed out on the Level 2 PPE that Turner earned because he played 54.7% of the snaps in 2024 and he needed to play at least 55% in each of his first three years.
Still, for the Level 1 PPE, his salary increases by about $700,000.
Salary change: $1.2 million to $3.6 million
Evans was a seventh-round pick so his base salaries were fairly cheap. However, because he averaged at least 35% of the special teams snaps across his first three years, he tripled his salary to $3.6 million as a Level 1 PPE-earner.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams salary cap: How 5 players earned big raises in 2026
Continue reading...
Those raises come in the fourth and final year of their original contract if a player hits certain playing-time thresholds or makes the Pro Bowl. For the Los Angeles Rams, five players earned themselves big raises in 2026 for their contributions the last three seasons, per Over The Cap.
Impressively, no other team in the NFL had more than four players from the 2023 draft earn proven performance escalators, so the Rams were tops in the league in that category. Here’s a look at the five Rams who earned salary bumps in 2026, four of them being significant raises where their pay more than doubled.
Puka Nacua: Level 3 PPE
Salary change: $1.2 million to $5.7 million
Nacua made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and 2025, which qualifies him for the third level of proven performance escalators. That means his salary is raised to the same value of the second-round tender for restricted free agents, more than quadrupling his pay for the 2026 season – assuming he doesn’t sign a contract extension for an even bigger raise.
Byron Young: Level 3 PPE
Salary change: $1.8 million to $5.7 million
Like Nacua, Young was also a Pro Bowler in 2025, bumping his pay up to the second-round tender value. He more than tripled his salary from $1.8 million to $5.7 million. Only five players on the Rams’ roster have a higher base salary in 2026 than Young and Nacua.
Kobie Turner: Level 2 PPE
Salary change: $1.7 million to $3.9 million
Turner qualifies for Level 2 of the proven performance escalator because he played at least 55% of the defensive snaps in each of his first three seasons. His base salary is now worth the value of the original-round tender, plus an additional $250,000. That more than doubles his pay from $1.7 million to $3.9 million.
Steve Avila: Level 1 PPE
Salary change: $2.9 million to $3.6 million
Avila is a Level 1 PPE-earner for averaging at least 60% of the offensive snaps across his three seasons. He barely missed out on the Level 2 PPE that Turner earned because he played 54.7% of the snaps in 2024 and he needed to play at least 55% in each of his first three years.
Still, for the Level 1 PPE, his salary increases by about $700,000.
Ethan Evans: Level 1 PPE
Salary change: $1.2 million to $3.6 million
Evans was a seventh-round pick so his base salaries were fairly cheap. However, because he averaged at least 35% of the special teams snaps across his first three years, he tripled his salary to $3.6 million as a Level 1 PPE-earner.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams salary cap: How 5 players earned big raises in 2026
Continue reading...
