Seahawks CB Riq Woolen Earns Performance-Based Escalator For 2023 Season

Even with his overall numbers not quite being on par to his remarkable rookie season, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen will reel in a stipend from the NFL for the second straight year.

Dec 31, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen (27) breaks up a pass / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Courtesy of the NFL's Performance-Based Pay program that was established under the league's current collective bargaining agreement, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen will receive a nice bump in salary for the 2023 season.

On Monday, the NFL announced Woolen as one of 25 highest-paid recipients earning Performance-Based escalators for next season, adding $839,154 to his $985,000 base salary, nearly doubling his pay. The second-year defender out of UTSA received the bonus after playing 939 defensive snaps and playing on an $870,000 base salary, which was below the veteran minimum for a player with seven or more accrued seasons.

This marks the second consecutive season where Woolen received a Performance-Based incentive, as he received north of $742,000 on top of his base salary and prorated bonus in 2023.

Per NFL rules, Performance-Based Pay indexes are calculated dividing a player’s “PBP Playtime,” the player’s regular season snaps played on offense, defense and special teams divided by the number of plays in which the player with the most total combined plays participated on that team, by the player's “PBP Compensation,” or player’s regular season full salary, including his prorated portion of signing bonus and earned incentives. These indexes are compared to all other players on the team to determine Performance-Based Pay figures, which tend to favor players like Woolen with higher snaps totals and low salaries.

Nov 19, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen (27) intercepts a / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Since Woolen played over 1,000 regular season snaps on defense and special teams in 2023 while earning under $975,000 in total salary, he scored 10th overall in Performance-Based Pay, which will push his earnings for next season up to $1.907 million. Since these escalators are paid out of a benefit pool established under the bargaining agreement to reward underpaid players primarily on rookie deals, they will not count against Seattle's salary cap.

Drafted in the fifth round by the Seahawks in 2022, the 6-4 Woolen burst onto the scene as one of the league's best young cornerbacks during a sensation rookie season, finishing tied for first with six interceptions and finishing third in Defensive Rookie of the Year balloting. While he only reeled in two interceptions last season and struggled to consistently make tackles, he did produce 10 pass breakups and per PFF, he ranked in the top 25 among cornerbacks in passer rating, yards allowed per reception, and forced incompletions/forced incompletion percentage.

Entering his third season in Seattle with a new coach in Mike Macdonald in town, Woolen should be long-term foundational piece in the secondary and will be looking to return to rookie form with eyes on a lucrative extension once he becomes eligible for one next offseason. In the meantime, thanks to another quality season, he'll be set to enjoy another nice gift in his bank account.