The Sad Story of Sean Rhyan and the Two Lost Snaps
In the world of professional American football, every play counts. For Green Bay Packers guard Sean Rhyan, two unplayed plays cost him more than two million dollars.
If Rhyan had participated in two additional plays in his first three NFL seasons (2022-24), he would have qualified for the “proven performance escalator.” This would have increased his 2025 base salary to $3.406 million, instead of the $1,363,571 he will receive under his rookie contract.
The difference, a total of $2,042,429, is because Rhyan was two snaps short of reaching the 35% required in Article 7, Section 4 of the NFL collective bargaining agreement.
This clause states that a player selected between rounds 3-7 (Rhyan was chosen in the third round in 2022) who “participates in a minimum of 35% of his club’s offensive or defensive plays in any of his first three regular seasons or participates in a ‘cumulative average’ of at least 35% of his club’s offensive or defensive plays during his first three regular seasons” is eligible for the salary increase, similar to the restricted free agent offer for the next season.
- In his rookie season, he only played one game and did not participate in any offensive plays. He played one special teams play, which is not included in the calculation. According to data from the NFL Players Association and the league, the Packers had 1,094 offensive plays.
- In 2023, he played 183 combined snaps at right and left guard in a backup role out of a possible 1,096 plays (16.7%).
- Last season, when he became a starter for the first time, he played 961 out of a possible 1,082 offensive snaps (88.8%). During the first half of the season, Rhyan shared snaps with Jordan Morgan. However, after Morgan was injured, Rhyan played full-time, except for eight plays in the second quarter of the game against Detroit.
In total, Rhyan participated in 1,144 of a possible 3,272 offensive snaps for the Packers in the last three seasons, representing 34.952% of the plays from 2022-24. It is worth noting that, at least, he was not a single snap away.
“We had him at exactly 35% of the snaps,” said Rhyan’s agent, Cameron Foster. “However, the NFL and the NFLPA had him just below that. So, according to the Packers, they’re not giving him the escalator. We’re pretty disappointed about that, for sure.”
Cameron Foster
A source with knowledge of NFL contracts revealed that some contracts include specific language that prevents rounding up in statistical requirements for incentives or escalators. The Packers couldn’t simply grant the raise to Rhyan, even if they wanted to. They would have to extend his contract to change his 2025 salary, which would also have implications on the salary cap and could affect future extensions.
Rhyan’s original rookie contract was for four years and $5.12 million, including a signing bonus of $905,712. However, he lost $235,000 of his base salary as a rookie due to a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
In March, Rhyan received an additional $697,006 in compensation through the NFL’s performance-based pay program. This was the third-highest amount on the team, behind Rasheed Walker ($925,612) and Zach Tom ($849,141). Each team had a fund of $14.128 million that is distributed based on playing time and salary levels.
Rhyan is expected to compete for a starting position at right guard this season. He could face competition from Morgan, who is also expected to battle with Walker for the left tackle position.
