Steelers Rookie Earns Big-Time Performance Bonus
Pittsburgh Steelers guard Mason McCormick has received a significant bonus for his performance during the 2024 season. McCormick received a $819,102 bonus, the NFL announced on Wednesday as part of its performance-based pay program.
The program creates an annual fund this is used supplemental form of rewarding players who have a significant amount of playing time at a relatively low salary, and usually goes to players playing under their rookie contracts. The NFL pays McCormick the money via the fund, and it does not count against the Steelers salary cap obligations.
The bonus represents a significant raise for McCormick. As a rookie fourth-round draft pick in 2024, he earned a $764,896 signing bonus and $795,000 in salary. He’s set to earn $960,000 in 2025.
A surprise pick for the Steelers out of South Dakota State last April, it turned out to be a prescient one. After season-ending injuries to guards James Daniels and Nate Herbig, McCormick took the reigns at right guard alongside fellow rookie Zach Frazier at center and second-year right tackle Broderick Jones, giving the Steelers a good look at the future of their offensive line.
McCormick appeared in all 17 games and made 14 starts. He played a total of 939 offensive snaps for the Steelers, which ended up being the fourth-most on the offense, behind Frazier, Jones and left tackle Dan Moore Jr.
Moore was the last Steelers player to earn a significant performance-based pay bonus, taking home $740,000 in 2024. This year, he has agreed to a massive free agent contract worth $82 million with the Tennessee Titans.
McCormick is likely not the Steelers only player that received such a bonus, but the NFL only announces the top 25 such bonuses league wide. In total, the NFL doled out $452 million in bonuses on Wednesday. Linebacker Jamien Sherwood of the New York Jets received the largest bonus, at $1.09 million.
Offensive linemen Kevin Dotson, Chuks Okorafor and Matt Feiler have also earned the top bonus on the Steelers in recent years.