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B.J. Raji, Letroy Guion cash in with nearly $1 million in roster bonuses

Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji earned $937,500 in roster bonuses in 2015. Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Defensive linemen B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion benefited more than any other Green Bay Packers players in per-game roster bonuses this season.

Both played the 2015 season on one-year deals that contained large weekly bonuses based on being on the 46-man active roster.

Raji played in 15 of the 16 regular-season games and collected an extra $937,500 on top of his $1.15 million base salary because of it. Guion was active for 13 games and received an extra $934,375 (he missed three games because of an NFL suspension) in addition to his $1.5 million base salary.

In all, the Packers paid out $6,356,875 in weekly roster bonuses this year to 15 players. Had all 15 of those players been active for every game this year, it would have cost the Packers $7,635,000.

Most contract extensions or new contracts the Packers sign with veterans contain roster bonuses that will pay players based on how many games they appear in each season. In Raji’s case, his deal was designed to reward a player coming off of injury (he missed all of 2014) while also protecting the team in case he suffered another one.

Here’s a look at how much each player with a weekly roster bonus in his contract collected this season:

Sitton also received a $250,000 bonus for making the Pro Bowl.

The biggest loser in the roster-bonus sweepstakes was receiver Jordy Nelson, who had a bonus of $31,250 per game active. His preseason knee injury that landed him on injured reserve cost him $500,000. Still, he collected his full $1.3 million base salary.

Guion’s suspension cost him $215,625 in weekly bonuses, plus another $264,705 from his $1.5 million base salary. The knee injury that landed Quarless on the temporary injured reserve cost him $137,500 in bonuses.