Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward tops NFL list of performance-based pay
The rising stardom of Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward is being financially recognized.
Ward topped the list of performance-pay distributions for 2019, per the NFL.
Ward, who started all 16 games for the Chiefs, will receive $428,335 in performance-based pay, a fund that compensates NFL players based on the relation of their playing time to salary level. He will also receive an addition $225,415 from the league’s veteran pool, part of the rookie redistribution fund created in 2011.
Ward had a base salary of $570,000 in 2019. His two payments will top that figure.
He played at least 90 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in 13 of the Chiefs’ 16 regular-season games, then reached 98 percent in all three playoff games. He also sees regular time on special teams.
Ward finished the season with two interceptions and 10 passes defended.
Before the 2018 season, the Chiefs traded from the surplus of their offensive line corps to acquire Ward, who at the time was fighting on the outskirts of the Dallas Cowboys’ roster.