NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement
Injury Protection
Section 4Treatment of Injury Protection Benefit Payments
In the 2021 and 2022 League Years, the first $1,200,000 of any Injury Protection Benefit amount paid to a player shall be charged to the Club’s Team Salary as provided in Article 13, Section 5(h); any remaining amount paid to the player, up to the applicable maximum payment specified in Section 3(a) above, shall be treated as a Player Benefit Cost under Article 12, Section 2(a)(iii). In the 2021-2030 League Years, the maximum payment in any League Year shall be allocated between the Club’s Team Salary and Player Benefit Costs as follows:
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |
| Max Payment | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,050 | $2,050 | $2,100 | $2,100 | $2,180 | $2,180 | $2,260 | $2,260 |
| Team Salary | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,230 | $1,230 | $1,260 | $1,260 | $1,310 | $1,310 | $1,360 | $1,360 |
| Player Benefit | $800 | $800 | $820 | $820 | $840 | $840 | $870 | $870 | $900 | $900 |
(all amounts in thousands of dollars)
By way of example, without limitation to other examples, if in the 2021 League Year the player’s Injury Protection Benefit payment equals $1,900,000 (representing 100% of his Paragraph 5 Salary), the first $1,200,000 would be charged to Team Salary, and the remaining $700,000 would be treated as a Player Benefit Cost. If in the 2021 League Year the player’s Injury Protection Benefit payment equals $850,000 (representing 100% of his Paragraph 5 Salary), the entire amount would be charged to Team Salary. If in the 2021 League Year the player’s Paragraph 5 Salary equals $3,000,000 and player’s Injury Protection Benefit payment equals $2,000,000 (representing the maximum payment under Section 3(a) above), the first $1,200,000 would be charged to Team Salary, and the remaining $800,000 would be treated as a Player Benefit Cost, as indicated in the “2021” column of the above table.