The Green Bay Packers started their voluntary offseason workouts on Monday, and it can't be emphasized enough that these workouts truly are voluntary. The old CBA included what the players thought was way too much mandatory offseason work, and things have been changed around a bit. The team can't make anyone show up. They can, however, write bonuses into players' contracts that pay them out big money if they actually do show up for voluntary workouts.
Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal discussed this yesterday on his Twitter and Sulia pages. I'm unfamiliar with Sulia, but it looks useful! There, Silverstein laid out some of the bonus figures for various players.
QB Aaron Rodgers gets $500,000 for attending. TE Jermichael Finley, WR Greg Jennings, CB Tramon Williams and S Nick Collins get $300,000 ... K Mason Crosby gets $150,000 and CB Jarrett Bush, OT Bryan Bulaga and FB John Kuhn get $100,000. Most players on their first contract don't get any workout bonuses, although LB Clay Matthews can earn $40,000 and RB Alex Green can earn $7,500. Other bonuses are $50,000 for S Charlie Peprah and $25,000 for LS Brett Goode.
These bonuses aren't exactly tiny percentages of the salaries that these guys make. Aaron Rodgers doesn't *need* $500,000, but there aren't a ton of guys in the league who are in a position to just write off that money. Players do not need to attend all voluntary workouts to get their bonuses, but do have to attend a certain percentage as stipulated in their contracts.