The top of the NFL is full of superstars on massive contracts, but we can't forget to talk about the lesser-paid player who showcased excellent performances in 2025. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a few names who come to mind... and they just earned major recognition from the league.
On Monday, Brian McCarthy, who works in the communications office for the NFL, released a list of the top 25 players in the league who earned the biggest performance-based pay. Steelers guard Mason McCormick and linebacker Payton Wilson were among them.
In addition to his rookie salary, McCormick was gifted $1,173,614 for his performance in 2025. This ranked eighth in the NFL in performance-based pay this year. Meanwhile, Wilson ranked 14th in performance-based pay, receiving an extra $1,102,206 for his efforts during the season.
In total, $542 million-worth of incentives were dished out across the league. The NFL determines this by creating a player index that divides total regular-season snaps by salary, rewarding players who play high percentages of snaps at low salaries.
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Considering McCormick was a full-time starter on a low fourth-round pick salary, and Wilson was a rotational linebacker in a big role on a small salary, it's not hard to see why these two names appeared near the top of the list.
Now, two years after the Steelers selected their 2024 NFL Draft class, we can safely say this team found a way to land quality starters in the mid-rounds.
In 2025, McCormick's second season, the athletic guard got better as the season progressed. McCormick, a former South Dakota State Jackrabbit, finished the season as the 17th-ranked guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
Meanwhile, though Wilson took a step back in 2025 in terms of consistency, he showcased rare closing speed and the ability to turn heads with his on-field performance. Wilson's highlight play was a touchdown-saving tackle against the Minnesota Vikings in which he clocked at running 22.48 miles per hour—the fastest in-game speed ever recorded by an NFL linebacker.
Wilson, the 98th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, had a cap number of just over $1.27 million in 2025, per Over the Cap. Likewise, McCormick—who was selected 21 picks later—had a cap number of just over $1.15 million last year. Together, these pivotal Steelers combined for just 0.8 percent of the team's total cap number last season.
Now, entering Year 3, Wilson and McCormick will look to build on their 2025 performances and prove why they should be long-term building blocks for the Steelers.
In addition to landing quality talent in the mid-rounds with these two players in the 2024 draft, Pittsburgh also struck gold on center Zach Frazier while landing players like offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, wide receiver Roman Wilson, and defensive lineman Logan Lee.
Mason McCormick and Payton Wilson were hardly the only NFL players who earned big performance-based paychecks for their usage during the 2025 season, but there's no question they outplayed their contracts.