The 2025 Pro Bowl rosters were unveiled on Thursday morning, and as usual, there were notable omissions. One of the most surprising is Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph. Leading the league with nine interceptions, Joseph also boasts a 43.9% completion rate in his coverage, ranks as Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) top-graded safety, and holds the highest PFF coverage grade (91.5) among all defensive backs.
Joseph led NFC safeties in fan voting for the Pro Bowl. However, votes from coaches and players ultimately left him off the roster. Instead, Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney, who has seven interceptions, and Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker, who has none this season, were selected over him. Before news of his exclusion was confirmed by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press on Wednesday night, Joseph expressed his confusion on Twitter. He has been named a second alternate at safety, making the snub even more glaring.
Missing the Pro Bowl Costs Kerby Joseph Financially
Under the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Proven Performance Escalator (PPE) rewards players drafted in the second round or later with salary adjustments based on performance. There are three levels:
Level 1: Requires participation in a specific percentage of a team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of the first three seasons or as an average over three years (60% for second-round picks, 35% for later picks). Joseph easily meets this, averaging 86.4% of defensive snaps over his three seasons.
Level 2: Requires participation in at least 55% of a team’s snaps each season for three years. Achieving this guarantees Joseph a pay raise for 2025, with his salary increasing to the value of the original draft round RFA tender plus $250,000.
Level 3: Rewards players who are original Pro Bowl selections in their first three seasons, raising their salary to the second-round RFA tender amount.
According to Over The Cap, the projected second-round RFA tender for 2025 is $5.217 million. Joseph’s current 2025 base salary is $1,357,942, meaning missing the Pro Bowl will cost him about $3.5 million.
Joseph is expected to secure a lucrative contract extension from the Lions, potentially this offseason. However, this situation highlights the ongoing problem of tying financial rewards to subjective honors like Pro Bowl voting in professional sports.
