Pittsburgh Steelers offensive guard Mason McCormick received a big bonus for his rookie performance. Stepping in and starting most of the season at right guard, he’s netting over $800,000 in performance-based pay. The NFL released the top-25 players who received increases, compensating players on a lower salary who saw a high volume of snaps.
This money does not count against the salary cap and is distributed from a pool created by the NFL and NFLPA to effectively reward underpaid players.
McCormick’s specific figure came in at $819,102. A fourth-round pick out of South Dakota State, he was expected to have a reserve role along the Steelers’ offensive line. But injuries to guards Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels, the latter suffering a season-ending Achilles tear, pressed McCormick into action.
He started 14 regular-season games and the team’s Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Despite making the small-school jump and flipping over to right guard, a position he had never played before, McCormick held his own. He threw his weight around as a run blocker and showed an anchor in pass protection, though he was weaker in the latter.
In total, Mason McCormick logged 939 regular-season snaps. He enters 2025 as the Steelers’ starting right guard and is part of a young and developing offensive line. Right tackle Troy Fautanu and center Zach Frazier were part of his rookie class while left tackle Broderick Jones is entering a crucial third season, replacing Dan Moore Jr. on the blindside. At the NFL Combine, general manager Omar Khan spoke highly of McCormick.
“Mason came in, small-school guy, he came in, this was not too big for him,” Khan said. “Loved his progression, and I think the future’s bright for him. He gives us good options at the position.”
Other Steelers likely received bonuses but missed the top-25 cutoff. Possible names include RB Jaylen Warren, WR Calvin Austin III, ILB Payton Wilson, and CB Beanie Bishop Jr. In fact, per this Pro Football Talk article, every player who logs even a single snap receives extra pay though amounts correlate to player salary and playing time.
The top performance bonus was handed out to New York Jets inside linebacker Jamien Sherwood, who netted over $1 million. He also signed a three-year, $45 million contract to stay with the Jets, making this week a good one for his bank account.
