Chris Paul Secures $19M as MVP, Double-Double Champion in '25!

Sep 11, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Commanders guard Chris Paul (75) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images The NFL released the numbers for performance based pay earned by players for the 2025 season. The NFL paid out more than $542 million to players, averaging almost $17 million per team, based on playing time and salary.

Some of the team’s lowest paid players can earn a healthy bonus based on playing time. Under the Performance-Based Pay program , a fund is created and used as a supplemental form of player compensation based on a comparison of playing time to salary. Players become eligible to receive a bonus distribution in any regular season in which they play at least one official down.

In general, players with higher playtime percentages and lower salaries benefit most from the pools. Performance-Based Pay is computed by using a player index (“Index”). To produce the Index, a player’s regular-season playtime (total plays on offense, defense and special teams) is divided by his adjusted regular-season compensation (full season salary, prorated portion of signing bonus, earned incentives).

Each player’s Index is then compared to those of the other players on his team to determine the amount of his Performance-Based Pay. How Performance-Based Pay Works If a player’s full season salary is less than the CBA Minimum Salary for a player with seven or more Credited Seasons, additional salary will be imputed to that player so that his salary is equal to the Minimum Salary for a player with seven or more Credited Seasons (i. e.