Ola tops Bears' share of NFL bonus pool
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By starting 12 games for the Bears last season, Michael Ola, right, earned the highest bonus pay on the team. Associated Press
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Michael Ola, who was released by Miami, started 12 games for the Bears last season. Associated Press
The Bears signed offensive lineman Michael Ola as a free agent last May for the league minimum of $420,000 after he was cut by the Miami Dolphins.
That turned out to be an incredible bargain for the Bears, as the Canadian Football League refugee started 12 games, including at least one at every offensive line position except center.
Ola's salary is peanuts compared to a lot of his teammates, but he was the Bears' big winner in performance-based bonuses, collecting an additional $266,554.
Performance-based bonuses are a provision of the 2002 NFL collective bargaining agreement. That pool of money is divided among all players based on playing time and salary. Those with the lowest salary and greatest amount of playing time get the biggest rewards.
The Bears' runner-up last season was undrafted linebacker Christian Jones, who picked up an extra $222,364 after starting at least one game at each of the three linebacker spots and five games total. Jones, like Ola, also played for the rookie minimum last season.
For the second straight year, right tackle Jordan Mills cashed in big, collecting an extra $204,711 after starting 13 games. Mills, a fifth-round pick in 2013, had a base salary of $495,000 last season.
After his rookie season, Mills got a bonus check of $318,243, the highest ever at that time. His 2013 salary was $405,000, which was the rookie minimum that year, when he started all 16 games for the Bears.
2014 performance-based bonuses for Bears players
Michael Ola $266,554
Christian Jones: $222,364
Jordan Mills $204,711
Brock Vereen $190,471
Demontre Hurst $159,572
Dante Rosario $132,827
Jon Bostic $121,400
Will Sutton $115,691
Alshon Jeffery $100,430
Ryan Mundy $98,246
Josh Morgan $95,328
Marquess Wilson $94,941
Danny McCray $91,823
Stephen Paea $87,243
Brian de la Puente $82,180
Senorise Perry $80,482
Kyle Fuller $72,560
Kyle Long $72,222
Ryan Groy $70,481
Roberto Garza $68,148
Santonio Holmes $61,819
Cornelius Washington $57,871
Ego Ferguson $56,377
Sherrick McManis $51,873
Al Louis-Jean $50,349
Khaseem Greene $48,556
Chris Conte $43,574
Jared Allen $42,613
Jeremiah Ratliff $42,501
DeDe Lattimore $41,756
David Bass $40,668
D.J. Williams $39,660
Pat O'Donnell $37,581
Willie Young $36,399
Isaiah Frey $32,272
Shea McClellin $29,359
Jeremy Cain $29,199
Darryl Sharpton $28,068
Tim Jennings $27,520
Ka'Deem Carey $26,453
Trevor Scott $25,328
Eben Britton $25,186
Martellus Bennett $21,624
Teddy Williams $21,199
Ahmad Dixon $20,014
Brandon Dunn $19,333
Chris Williams $18,941
Jimmy Clausen $17,922
Jermon Bushrod $17,170
Matt Forte $16,031
Anthony Walters $13,653
Matt Slauson $13,109
Marc Mariani $13,002
Blake Annen $12,383
Josh Bellamy $11,746
Lamarr Houston $11,518
Brandon Marshall $10,457
Charles Leno $10,242
Lance Briggs $10,083
Terrell Manning $8,295
Shaun Draughn $8,134
Matthew Mulligan $8,132
Montell Owens $7,451
Rashad Ross $7,120
Jay Cutler $6,808
Jay Feely $5,474
Micheal Spurlock $5,461
Charles Tillman $5,160
Robbie Gould $4,700
Taylor Boggs $3,376
Tony Fiammetta $1,767
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