The New England Patriots had a classy gesture for wide receiver Mack Hollins after he fell just short of a contract incentive last season.
Hollins would have earned $400,000 in incentives with 50 catches in the regular season, but fell four short, in part because of a lacerated spleen that cost him two regular season games. He ended up with 46 catches for 550 yards and two touchdowns.
The Patriots decided to do right by Hollins anyway. They added a $400,000 signing bonus to his contract to give him the incentive that he likely would have earned had he not gotten hurt.
Patriots WR Mack Hollins came up four catches short of a $400,000 incentive this past season, when a lacerated spleen cost him the last two regular-season games.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 20, 2026
A cool gesture: The Patriots honored the incentive anyway, adding a $400,000 signing bonus to Hollins’ contract. pic.twitter.com/4GbbuFqhcq
Sports teams will occasionally pay out an incentive to a player even if he does not achieve it, usually in the case of injury or bad luck preventing them from hitting the benchmark. Beyond simply being the right thing to do, it does not go unnoticed when teams take care of players.
Hollins signed a 2-year, $8.4 million contract with New England in March 2025. He became rather famous for his over-the-top outfits as he arrived at playoff games during the team’s Super Bowl run.
