Vince Wilfork could miss out on huge bonus if Patriots rest starters

The New England Patriots have nothing to play for on Sunday, with the No. 1 seed in the AFC already locked up.

Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, on the other hand, has plenty to play for. Specifically, if the Patriots rest starters and he doesn't play, a $1.25 million escalator clause in Wilfork's contract that is tied to playing time might not be triggered.

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Tom Curran of CSNNE outlined a pretty interesting case. Wilfork's reworked contract included a lot of incentives, including large ones tied to playing time. Playing 70 percent of the snaps and making the divisional round of the playoffs is the last step toward triggering an entire $2.5 million escalator clause, of which he has earned $1.25 million already. The Patriots are guaranteed to be in the divisional round of the playoffs and Wilfork has played 74.1 percent of the snaps according to SportingCharts.com, via CSNNE.

The problem is, many teams with nothing to play for rest starters in Week 17 to avoid injury. If Wilfork sits and the Bills run 70 plays, his snap percentage dips to 69.4 percent, Curran wrote. In that scenario, Wilfork would miss out on at least $1.25 million. Curran said another $500,000 bonus will be reached if Wilfork plays 70 percent of snaps and the Patriots finish in the top 10 in scoring defense. They currently are eighth. So even getting in 5-10 snaps on Sunday might be very, very important for Wilfork.

Wilfork isn't the only Patriots player who has some money on the line Sunday. The final $24 million in quarterback Tom Brady's contract, which runs through the next three seasons, becomes guaranteed if Brady is on the roster for Week 17, according to Fox Sports. There's not much suspense there. Brady will be on the roster come Sunday. Wilfork's payday isn't as assured as Brady's is.

After a contentious offseason in which Wilfork asked the Patriots to release him before his contract was reworked, it's hard to imagine the Patriots will try to keep Wilfork from getting that extra $1.25 million, especially after he has had a tremendous season yet again in the middle of the defense. Sitting him and having him miss out on that escalator would not go over well.

But if Wilfork seems a little more excited to play in Week 17 than the rest of the Patriots, now you know why.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab