J.K. Dobbins has been a revelation for the LA Chargers this season. Signed as a cheap flier after the team already brought in Gus Edwards, Dobbins has regained his old form and has been an irreplicable engine for this Chargers offense.
Dobbins returned to action after missing four weeks on Saturday and didn't miss a single beat. Dobbins carried the ball 19 times for 76 yards with a rushing touchdown in a game the Chargers scored 40 points.
Even if Dobbins' individual numbers weren't eye-popping, just having him in the backfield opened up so many other parts of the Chargers' offense. The play-action pass was working better than it had all season, all thanks to the threat of Dobbins.
It is safe to say Dobbins has been one of the biggest steals in the entire NFL this season. The Chargers signed Dobbins to a one-year deal worth just over $1.6 million that only had $50,000 guaranteed with a $1.13 million cap hit. It doesn't get much cheaper than that.
The former Ohio State Buckeye also has a chance to see a substantial pay jump (compared to his base salary) if all goes well in Week 18. Dobbins has a $150,000 bonus baked into his deal for reaching 600. 750, 900, 1050, and 1200 rushing yards. He enters Week 18 with 842 yards on the season.
J.K. Dobbins needs 58 rushing yards in Week 18 to cash lucractive incentive from Chargers
$150,000 may not seem like a lot in comparison to the gaudy contracts that are handed out nowadays in sports but let's not lose sight of just how much money that really is. For Dobbins' specifically, a $150,000 bonus would represent over a 10% raise in his salary this season.
You're telling me you wouldn't want a 10% raise on your salary?
Dobbins has hit two of the checkpoints already this season and also has a roster bonus of $30,000 per game. With 12 games played this season, Dobbins has earned $660,000 in total incentives this season. Hitting 900 rushing yards next week would kick his incentive earnings up to $840,000, which would kick his yearly earnings up to just under $2.5 million.
That is still a massive steal for the Chargers and is much cheaper than the team will be able to retain him for this offseason. The running back market still may not be lucrative but Dobbins' bounce-back year is going to earn him more than $2.5 million a year.