The NFL announced its performance-based pay for the 2025 season earlier this week, allowing players on lesser contracts to earn some additional money based on their playing time levels. Among the league leaders was New England Patriots safety Craig Woodson.
A fourth-round draft pick out of Cal last April, Woodson appeared in all 21 regular season and playoff games as a rookie and was on the field for a combined 93.7% of defensive snaps and 14.6% on special teams. He did all that while playing on an $840,000
salary and counting only 0.3% against. the Patriots’ cap in 2025.
Through the NFL’s performance-based payout system, however, the 25-year-old has now added an extra $1.15 million to his cash intake. In total, he earned roughly $3.1 million in his first season as a pro.
Woodson is not the only rookie ranking near the top of the Patriots’ payout list for the 2025 season. Second-ranked Jared Wilson and eighth-ranked Elijah Ponder were also in their first year in the league:
- S Craig Woodson: $1,149,909.53
- OL Jared Wilson: $932,936.42
- WR Kayshon Boutte: $00,246.28
- LB Jack Gibbens: $755,171.55
- S Jaylinn Hawkins: $665,887.18
- DT Cory Durden: $653,631.12
- S Dell Pettus: $585,378.82
- ED Elijah Ponder: $578,546.61
- FB Jack Westover: $545,829.75
- OL Ben Brown: $440,189.64
Every player who saw game action during the season qualifies for performance-based pay status, regardless of how many snaps they actually received. This is why players such as Truman Jones ($15k), Richie Grant ($11) and D.J. James ($6k) also find themselves on the list even though they played only 11, nine and five respective snaps all year.
The Patriots’ full payout list for the 2025 season looks as follows:
The performance-based pay, which in the Patriots’ case totals almost $17 million is not counted against a team’s salary cap. According to cap expert Miguel Benzan, New England therefore still has $33.5 million to work with at the moment, with two free agent contacts — LB K.J. Britt and LS Niko Lalos — yet to be accounted for.
