The Kansas City Chiefs were able to defeat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl earlier this year and Charvarius Ward was one of the reasons why. Due to his strong showing this past season, Ward earned the highest-performance based pay from the NFL program in 2019, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Prior to the 2018 season, the Chiefs traded for Ward as an undrafted rookie out of Middle Tennessee State. Even as an undrafted free agent, Ward rose up the depth chart and was able to play in 13 games his rookie season. In those 13 games, Ward amassed 30 tackles and three deflections.

Then, this past season, Ward became a fixture in Kansas City's much-improved secondary. In just his second season in the NFL, Ward notched 74 tackles, 10 deflections, and two interceptions.

Amid the Chiefs' Super Bowl run, Ward was an underrated contributor to a defense that saw a vast improvement from 2018. Of course, the addition of Tyrann Mathieu was vital to Kansas City's success as well.

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Back in 2018, Ward received a three-year, $1.71 million contract with the Chiefs. While Ward was putting together a stellar season with Kansas City in 2019, he earned only $570,000. As Pelissero noted, the performance-based pay program will net Ward nearly 15 percent more than his salary.

Heading into next season, Ward is set to make $660,000 in the final year of his rookie contract. It's safe to say that Kansas City is getting quite the bargain with Ward in their secondary. Instead of performance-based pay next offseason, Ward could command a decent contract from the Chiefs if he has another productive campaign in 2020.

Find the highest earners from the program below:

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