Steelers Rookie Earns Pay Increase

A Pittsburgh Steelers rookie was remunerated for his strong play.

Dec 8, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers guard Mason McCormick (66) reacts as he takes the field against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

A Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman was rewarded for his play as a rookie.

The NFL released a list of the top 25 performance-based pay distributions following the 2024 season, which featured guard Mason McCormick at No. 25.

As a result, he will earn an extra $819,102. McCormick took home a base salary of $795,000 as a fourth-round pick, meaning he essentially doubled his pay while not factoring in his $764,896 signing bonus.

The 25-year-old was one of three rookies on the list, joining San Francisco 49ers guard Dominick Puni ($898,036) and Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock ($855,372).

The league uses the system as a form of additional compensation that's predicated on comparing playing time to salaries. As such, it's particularly beneficial for individuals with lower wages who log a significant amount of snaps.

McCormick wound up starting 14 games for the Steelers, but that certainly wasn't the plan heading into the season.

All three of the team's projected starters on the interior of the line sustained injuries early in the year, which threw Pittsburgh for a loop.

Center Nate Herbig was placed on injured reserve during the preseason after tearing his rotator cuff, which ended his campaign and led to second-round pick Zach Frazier taking over responsibilities at the position.

Then, in late August, Isaac Seumalo hurt his pec and proceeded to miss the first four contests of the year.

McCormick took over at left guard in his absence for parts of Pittsburgh's Week 3 and 4 games before sliding over to right guard for the remainder of the season after James Daniels tore his Achilles in the latter of those two contests.

When it was all said and done, McCormick saw the field for a total of 936 offensive snaps and allowed two sacks while recording a 53.7 run blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus.

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