A breakdown of why several Browns players are earning a PPE for the upcoming season.
It’s that time of year again in which we look at which members of the Cleveland Browns earned or were eligible for the “proven performance escalator (PPE).”
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), there are three different “levels” in which players can qualify for a fourth-year salary bump, each one with a different pay grade. The player will receive the most lucrative level they are eligible for. Let’s dig into the levels:
Level 1 PPE
- For players selected in rounds 3-7, if they play in 35% of the snaps in two of three seasons, or 35% of the team’s cumulative snaps over three seasons, they get the PPE.
- If the player is a second-round pick, they have a different threshold: 60% of the snaps are required.
- For players earning the Level 1 PPE, their base salary in the final year of their contract will increase to the original round tender amount, which is estimated to be $3.325 million.
Level 2 PPE
- This includes players from rounds 2-7. If they participated in 55% of the team’s snaps in all three seasons, they earn the Level 2 PPE.
- The Level 2 PPE is very similar to the Level 1 PPE financially: it is the same amount ($3.325 million), plus $250,000. Therefore, their base salary would be $3.575 million.
Level 3 PPE
- This is the most lucrative one. If a player from rounds 2-7 is nominated to the Pro Bowl on the original ballot in any of their first three seasons, they earn the Level 3 PPE.
- The Level 3 PPE is worth the equivalent of a second-round RFA tender, which is estimated to be about $5.217 million this year.
Who Was Eligible This Year?
Since the criteria waits three years, that means we have to look back at players from the 2022 NFL Draft. The players on the Cleveland Browns who would have been eligible for the escalator are: RB Jerome Ford, WR David Bell, WR Michael Woods, DE Alex Wright, and CB Martin Emerson. Players from the 2021 NFL Draft who came from other teams would also be eligible. I don’t believe that applies to anyone for Cleveland.
Let’s start with RB Jerome Ford, the team’s fifth-round pick in 2022. He was seldom used as a rookie, since the tandem of Nick Chubb and Jerome Ford received the majority of the workload. Over the past two years, due to the injury suffered by Chubb, Ford basically became the team’s lead back, receiving 50.7% and 44.6% of the snaps. Even though his cumulative percentage (32.5%) over the three seasons was below 35%, because he played over 35% in two of his three seasons, he qualified for a Level 1 PPE.
Ford was originally set to make $1.1 million in base salary in 2025. With the Level 1 PPE, the base salary jumps to about $3.325 million, an increase of $2.225 million.
WR Michael Woods played minimally as a rookie, was injured in 2023, and then played in 26% of the snaps in 2024 (honestly, it’s hard to believe it was that many). His cumulative playing time for a player selected in rounds 3-7 needed to be 35% of the team’s offensive snaps, but he was only at 12.8%. Additionally, he did not reach 35% in two of his three seasons, so he did not qualify for the PPE.
WR David Bell saw significant action as a rookie, playing in 44% of the team’s snaps. That took a dip in 2023, when he only played in 17.5% of the team’s snaps. To qualify for the Level 1 PPE, he would have needed to play in 35% of the team’s snaps this past season. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending injury in a Week 2 game against the Jaguars after he had hauled in three catches, ending his season and any hope for a PPE boost.
DE Alex Wright played in 49.8% of the snaps in 2022 and 36.6% of the snaps in 2023, which means he automatically qualified for the Level 1 PPE before the 2024 season (which he was injured during most of the season).
Wright was originally set to make $1.377 million in base salary in 2025. With the Level 1 PPE, the base salary jumps to about $3.275 million ($50,000 less than Ford’s amount due to a workout bonus), an increase of $1.898 million.
Last, but not least, we have CB Martin Emerson, who ended up getting the most lucrative raise of them all. If you look at the Level 2 PPE requirements, it says that a player needs to participate in 55% of the snaps in each of the three seasons. He played in 72% of the snaps as a rookie, 81% in 2023, and then 61% this past season.
Emerson was originally set to make $1.401 million in base salary in 2025. With the Level 2 PPE, the base salary jumps to about $3.525 million (also reduced by $50,000 due to a workout bonus), an increase of $2.124 million.
Cumulatively, the three Browns players who earned PPE amounted to increases of $6.247 million that will factor into the team’s cap space in 2025. If you’ve been checking Over the Cap, though, they have already accounted for this since January 11.
Looking Into the Future
Looking forward to next year, players who could potentially earn a PPE are QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, WR Cedric Tillman, OT Dawand Jones, C Luke Wypler, DE Isaiah McGuire, and CB Cameron Mitchell. Tillman and Jones have already clinched Level 1 PPEs based on playing >35% of snaps in each of their first two seasons.
McGuire has one season above 35%, so he would be a Level 1 PPE if he plays in 35% of the team’s snaps in 2025. Mitchell has played in 26.5% and 25.6% of the snaps, so it is highly unlikely that he earns a Level 1 PPE unless he becomes a full-time starter in 2025. The same goes for DTR on the offensive side of the ball.