Record 25 NFL Players Earn $1 Million in Performance Pay

Days after signing with the Jets, Nahshon Wright got an additional check.

Wright led all NFL players in performance-based pay bonuses for the 2025 season, which the league revealed on Monday. The 27-year-old cornerback made an additional $1.4 million on top of the original $1.1 million he made with the Bears in 2025. A free agent this offseason, Wright signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Jets on March 12. 

Wright was one of 25 players to earn at least $1 million in performance-based bonuses this past season. That marks a new league record, coming one year after Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood became the first NFL player to net more than $1 million in such bonuses.  

After Wright, a former third-round pick, two undrafted free agents in Browns safety Ronnie Hickman ($1.29 million) and Falcons tackle Elijah Wilkinson ($1.27 million) rounded out the top three. The bonus checks do not count against the players’ salary cap hits. Bonuses for the performance-based pay pool are determined by a player’s base salary and snap count. Lower-paid players who play a lot have the most to gain. 

Wright is the latest player with Jets ties to top the list. Sherwood received the most bonus money in 2025, and offensive lineman John Simpson led all players with $975,000 in additional money in 2024. 

The Cowboys originally selected Wright out of Oregon State in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He signed a one-year deal with the Bears in March 2025 and started 16 regular-season and two postseason games with Chicago.

The 27-year-old played in 97% of the Bears defensive snaps and 4% of special teams plays. He led Chicago in takeaways with five interceptions, two forced fumbles, and three fumbles recovered en route to being named to his first Pro Bowl. The bonus more than doubled his salary. 

The PBP system was established in 2002 as part of the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association and has been renewed in three subsequent CBAs. Since its inception, the PBP system has paid out roughly $3.3 billion in player bonuses. The program started out with a pool of $15 million in bonuses and has grown to $542 million in 2025, up from $452 million in 2024.