Tarvaris Jackson Could Make $3 Million From Buffalo Bills

Tarvaris Jackson will very likely be making his Buffalo Bills debut in tonight's pre-season finale, and thanks to a report from Pro Football Talk, we now know how much money Jackson will be making as the team's primary backup quarterback during the 2012 season.

Mike Florio reports that Jackson will make $1.75 million in base salary, which is less than half of the $4 million he was set to make as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. He'll also make up to $250,000 more if he's active on every Sunday (or $15,625 per Sunday). That bumps the total to a clean $2 million assuming Jackson is active all 16 games.

The report also indicates that Jackson can earn another $1 million in incentives related to performance and "team improvement"; it's unclear whether "team improvement" incentives can be reached regardless of whether he plays a snap or not.

Tyler Thigpen, meanwhile, is scheduled to make $2.5 million in base salary this season, and also has incentives that can increase the value of his annual intake, though by how much is not certain. Either way, Jackson represents better bang for the buck - and in an ideal world, the team will feel comfortable enough with their newest quarterback to get Thigpen's salary off of the books by tomorrow evening.