By James Varney, The Times-Picayune

March 23, 2010, 2:48PM

Orlando, Fla. — The NFL announced the awarding of “performance-based pay” bonuses Tuesday, a piece of the now-expired collective bargaining agreement with players that has doled out nearly $600 million over the last eight seasons.

Minnesota Vikings center John Sullivan got the highest award – $397,555 – while New Orleans Saints guard Carl Nicks was sixth with $317,313, according to league figures released at the NFL owners meeting in Orlando.

Performance-Based Pay is computed by using a “player index,” the league said.

“To produce the index, a player’s regular-season playtime (total plays on offense, defense and special teams) is divided by his adjusted regular-season compensation (full season salary, prorated portion of signing bonus, earned incentives).  Each player’s index is then compared to those of the other players on his team to determine the amount of his pay,” according to the announcement.

Since its induction, the Saints have two of the top 25 players on the bonus list. In sixth place is guard Jahri Evans, a 4th round pick in the 2006 draft, who has been awarded $782,363, while Nicks, taken in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, has earned $652,346, placing him 24th on the list.

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