The NFL announced on Monday the distribution of the Performance-Based Pay Program for the 2025 season. In total, players in the league will receive more than $542 million in additional bonuses for their performance during the year.
This system rewards players based on their playing time and salary, which benefits the players with low contracts.
Since the program’s implementation in 2002, players have received nearly $3.3 billion in cumulative payments of this type.
What is Performance-Based Pay?
The Performance-Based Pay (PBP) is a fund negotiated within the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association.
The calculation is based on an index that compares:
- Percentage of plays contested (offense, defense and special teams).
- Total player salary during the season.
The more a player plays and the lower their salary, the larger their bonus within the fund usually is.
To be eligible, a player only needs to participate in at least one official regular season play.
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Cornerback Nahshon Wright, who played last season with the Chicago Bears, led the entire league with $1,441,397 in bonus pay.
Wright participated in 97% of his team’s defensive snaps, which boosted his rating within the system.
For the first time in the program’s history:
- The 25 highest-paid players all earned over one million dollars.
Buccaneers’ players Yaya Diaby and Cody Mauch received performance pay escalators but did not crack the top-25.
Among other notable names is also former Buccaneers linebacker Devin White, now with the Las Vegas Raiders, who received $1,133,486.
How is the money distributed within each team?
Each franchise has its own internal Performance-Based Pay fund.
Players on the same team compete against each other for their percentage of the fund based on their performance index. Simply put:
- More snaps played = more cash options.
- Low contracts = greater impact on the calculation.
That’s why many rookies, rotation players, or starters with modest contracts end up receiving very high payments.
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The program has become an important incentive for young players and low-cost contracts, as it allows rewarding real impact on the field even if the base salary is reduced.
For teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who rely on young players and depth on the roster, this system helps balance the compensation of those who end up having a relevant role during the season.
Top 25 Performance-Based Pay Distributions For 2025
| PLAYER | 2025 CLUB | POS. | COLLEGE | ROOKIE YEAR | DRAFT ROUND | DISTRIBUTION (ROUNDED) | |
| 1 | Nahshon Wright | Bears | CB | Oregon State | 2021 | 3 | $1,441,397 |
| 2 | Ronnie Hickman | Browns | FS | Ohio State | 2023 | UDFA | $1,293,843 |
| 3 | Elijah Wilkinson | Falcons | T | Massachusetts | 2017 | UDFA | $1,272,054 |
| 4 | Nick Scott | Panthers | FS | Penn State | 2019 | 7 | $1,262,216 |
| 5 | Chris Paul | Commanders | G | Tulsa | 2022 | 7 | $1,202,142 |
| 6 | Andrew Voorhees | Ravens | G | Southern California | 2023 | 7 | $1,199,318 |
| 7 | Jalen Redmond | Vikings | OF | Oklahoma | 2023 | UDFA | $1,184,087 |
| 8 | Mason McCormick | Steelers | G | South Dakota State | 2024 | 4 | $1,173,614 |
| 9 | Chamarri Conner | Chiefs | H.H | Virginia Tech | 2023 | 4 | $1,150,312 |
| 10 | Craig Woodson | Patriots | H.H | California | 2025 | 4 | $1,149,910 |
| 11 | Xavier Watts | Falcons | FS | Notre Dame | 2025 | 3 | $1,144,510 |
| 12 | Riley Moss | Broncos | CB | Iowa | 2023 | 3 | $1,136,103 |
| 13 | Devin White | Raiders | OLB | Louisiana State | 2019 | 1 | $1,133,486 |
| 14 | Payton Wilson | Steelers | ILB | North Carolina State | 2024 | 3 | $1,102,206 |
| 15 | Jack Jones | Dolphins | CB | Arizona State | 2022 | 4 | $1,101,585 |
| 16 | Anthony Bradford | Seahawks | G | Louisiana State | 2023 | 4 | $1,098,394 |
| 17 | O’Cyrus Torrence | Bills | G | Florida | 2023 | 2 | $1,091,163 |
| 18 | Matt Goncalves | Colts | G | Pittsburgh | 2024 | 3 | $1,083,538 |
| 19 | Kingsley Suamataia | Chiefs | G | Brigham Young | 2024 | 2 | $1,067,367 |
| 20 | Antonio Johnson | Jaguars | H.H | Texas A&M | 2023 | 5 | $1,065,214 |
| 21 | Malachi Moore | Jets | H.H | Alabama | 2025 | 4 | $1,042,230 |
| 22 | Dane Belton | Giants | H.H | Iowa | 2022 | 4 | $1,023,291 |
| 23 | Drake Thomas | Seahawks | ILB | North Carolina State | 2023 | UDFA | $1,022,512 |
| 24 | Jordan Battle | Bengals | H.H | Alabama | 2023 | 3 | $1,021,703 |
| 25 | Evan Williams | Packers | FS | Oregon | 2024 | 4 | $1,003,098 |
NFL UDFA – Undrafted free agent
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This article was translated from it’s original form in Spanish to English via META AI.
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