Craig Woodson
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Patriots' safety Craig Woodson has earned a $1.14 million bonus from the NFL
The New England Patriots had a lot of things go right for them in 2025. Anytime you go from winning four games the year before to advancing all the way to the Super Bowl, that is typically the case. While the play of Drake Maye was obviously a big reason for the Pats’ success, the team received contributions from players up and down the roster.
Perhaps the most unlikely contributor was rookie safety Craig Woodson. A fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Woodson started all but two of the team’s games last season, and he ended up playing 93% of New England’s defensive snaps. As a result, Woodson has earned himself a nice bonus from the NFL early this offseason.
Craig Woodson Earns $1.14 Million Bonus from the NFL
Brian McCarthy
NFL players will receive more than $542 million in Performance-Based Pay for their performance during the 2025 season. The Performance-Based Pay program is a collectively bargained benefit that compensates all players based upon their playing time and salary levels. Top 25 here
After spending six years in college with the California Golden Bears, Woodson was viewed as a bit of a reach by the Patriots in the 2025 draft. In a crowded safety room that featured the likes of his former college teammate, Jaylinn Hawkins, Kyle Dugger, and Jabrill Peppers, though, Woodson surprisingly earned a starting job alongside Hawkins to begin the year.
Again, this decision was immediately questioned, but Woodson quietly shut his haters up all season long. Woodson finished the year with 79 tackles and three pass breakups, and he was even better in the playoffs, as he finished the four-game run with 30 tackles, one interception, and six pass breakups. In Super Bowl LX, Woodson was arguably the best player on the field for New England.
While Hawkins signed with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency, Woodson will be sticking around as a foundational piece for New England on defense. Not only do the Patriots value him, but the NFL saw just how important a piece he is for the team. That led to him earning a $1.14 million bonus from the league on Monday afternoon as part of the league’s performance-based payment program.
Patriots Expect Big Things from Craig Woodson in 2026
Craig Woodson
GettyPatriots’ safety Craig Woodson has earned a $1.14 million bonus from the NFL
To an extent, Woodson will miss the familiarity that comes with playing alongside Hawkins, but he already has a new partner-in-crime, as the Pats signed Kevin Byard to a one-year, $9 million contract in free agency. Byard, who has familiarity playing for head coach Mike Vrabel during their shared time on the Tennessee Titans, is fresh off an All-Pro First Team selection after spending 2025 with the Chicago Bears, so Woodson is in good hands moving forward.
As the playoffs showed, Woodson is capable of becoming an impact performer for New England moving forward. He’s rangy enough to hold up in coverage deep down the field, but he can also creep up into the box and deliver a big hit when needed as well. Woodson has all the intangibles needed to be a star in the NFL for quite some time, and after earning a hefty bonus from the NFL, he appears set to build off of his breakout season when he returns to action in 2026.