Two Steelers Earn Pay Boosts

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson and right guard Mason McCormick were two players to receive a cut of more than $542 million handed out on behalf of the Performance-Based Pay Program.

McCormick earned the most out of the two with a $1.173 payday, which was the eighth most in the NFL, while Wilson earned $1.102 million, which ranked 14th, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported.

The Performance-Base Pay Program is designed to compensate all players based on their playing time and salary levels. All players have to do is play just one official down in a season to become eligible, but some players receive more than others based on a comparison of playing time and salary — i.e., players on lower salaries who have high playtime percentages benefit most from the program.

The program was introduced in 2002 as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players' association. Nearly $3.3 billion has been paid to players since the program's inception. This year marked the first time the top 25 players received over $1 million from the program.

McCormick and Wilson Receive Offseason Payday

Dec 8, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers guard Mason McCormick (66) takes the field for a game against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

McCormick is a great example of why the Performance-Based Pay Program exists. According to Pro Football Focus, the South Dakota State product played all 1,088 snaps of offense in 2025, but his salary was just $960,000 in the second year of his rookie contract as a former fourth-round pick.

That means McCormick more than doubled his salary after allowing five sacks and 27 pressures last season, and being one of the Steelers' top run blockers, per PFF.

Wilson was in a similar situation to McCormick after posting 126 tackles (74 solo, 52 assists), two sacks, five run stuffs, a fumble recovery, an interception and two pass breakups. Both players were selected a round apart by Pittsburgh in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Wilson's salary was marginally higher than McCormick's in his second season at $1.049 million, meaning he, too, earned more than twice his salary, even though he played 762 of 1,233 total defensive snaps (61.8%).

Both McCormick and Wilson will be key pieces for the Steelers heading into the 2026 season. McCormick is expected to man the right guard spot again, between center Zach Frazier and takle Troy Fautanu. However, he will be the only returning starting guard after Isaac Seumalo signed with the Arizona Cardinals.

It appears that Wilson will be paired with Patrick Queen at linebacker again, even after trade rumors surrounding the LSU product. The two were the Steelers' top tacklers last season and combined for 246 hits, 14 for a loss and three sacks.

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