Earlier this offseason, the New England Patriots and starting right guard Mike Onwenu reached an agreement to revise his contract. After previously being scheduled to count $25 million against the team’s salary cap this season, the number was brought down to $17.5 million.
While this $7.5 million decrease can be classified as a pay cut, it happened in exchange for a more favorable guarantee structure. As part of it, Onwenu also received $2 million in contract incentives. According to a new report
by ESPN’s Mike Reiss, those are structured as follows:
RG Mike Onwenu: Contract incentives
Maximum incentives: $2,000,000
2026: Up to $2,000,000
$1,000,000: Pro Bowl (original ballot)
$1,000,000: First- or second-team All-Pro
Both parts of Onwenu’s incentives, which can be earned independently from one another, are considered not likely to be earned and therefore not counted against the Patriots’ salary cap in 2026. The 28-year-old, after all, was neither voted to the Pro Bowl nor a first or second All-Pro team last season.
In fact, he has not received recognition at any point in his six-year career in the NFL so far. Should he break this drought and make the Pro Bowl and/or an All-Pro team this coming season, the appropriate amount of $1 million or $2 million would then be counted against New England’s 2027 salary cap.
Onwenu is now part of a group of four Patriots with both Pro Bowl and All-Pro incentives in their respective contracts. The others are running back Rhamondre Stevenson, defensive tackle Christian Barmore and special teamer Brenden Schooler. Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and cornerback Marcus Jones have Pro Bowl incentives only in their respective pacts.
