The Tennessee Titans are in the midst of a general manager search after firing Ran Carthon on Tuesday. Over his two seasons, the Titans have done a good job in the NFL draft, with their 2024 haul off to a good start.
Carthon, like his predecessor Jon Robinson, will be remembered for his misses, more than the picks that hit. It’s always fun to review draft classes years later to see how things panned out.
Fortunately, the NFL has a built-in way to see how much impact a draftee had with the mandatory Proven Performance Escalator program (PPEs).
Three #Titans – CB McCreary, TE Okonkwo and RT NPF – qualify for proven performance escalators, a 4th-yr salary escalator for players on drafted rookie contracts not picked in 1st rd.
It’s based mainly on pctg. of snaps.
McCreary a level 2, one notch above Okonkwo, NPF. https://t.co/PeASELnaKG— John Glennon (@glennonsports) January 12, 2025
The mandatory program awards rookies who were drafted in the second through seventh rounds, who have participated in a substantial number of plays for their teams. The program has three levels and adds a non-negotiable amount of money to a player’s base salary if they meet certain performance thresholds early in their career.
The bonus is calculated through their first three years in the league and is paid out with a player’s base salary in their fourth season.
This offseason, the Titans have three players who meet the criteria and will receive a bump in their fourth-year base salary. Cornerback Roger McCreary, tight end Chig Okonkwo, and offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere all qualified for the escalator and will see their pay increase.
McCreary will see the biggest raise after landing in level two, while Okonkwo and Petit-Frere will see the minimum amount after finishing in level one.
To give you an idea of what this raise means and exactly how much it will impact the salary cap, here is a breakdown of the three levels and the associated salaries Over the Cap.
Level One PPE will increase the base salary to the amount of the Original Draft Round RFA tender.
Level Two PPE will increase the base salary to the amount of the above tender, plus $250,000.
Level Three PPE will increase the base salary to the amount of the 2nd round RFA tender.
The Titans have a lot of work to do this offseason as they rebuild after a disastrous 2024 campaign, and now they will have to accomplish this with a little less salary cap space.