Every snap counts in the NFL. During the 2025 season, that was true in more ways than one for Seattle Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas.
On Monday, the NFL announced its top 25 performance-based payouts from the 2025 season. The system is in place to reward players with low salaries who played high snap counts during the previous season.
Through the system, Thomas received one of the top 25 payouts for the 2025 season. The linebacker received about an additional $1.022 million.
Performance-based pay is a system the league has in place for players for players with high snap counts and low salaries.
According to Spotrac, that nearly matched his entire pay from last season. In his third NFL season, Thomas made roughly $1.039 million in 2025.
The 26-year-old almost doubled his pay thanks to starting 14 games for the Seahawks elite 2025 defense. After playing just 41 defensive snaps for Seattle in 2023 and 2024 combined, Thomas lined up for 763 defensive snaps last season.
With the enormous jump in playing time, Thomas had 96 combined tackles, including 10 tackles for loss. He also registered six quarterback hits, eight pass defenses and one interception.
Linebacker Drake Thomas Earned Pay Adjustment for 2025
Few, if any, are likely to argue against Thomas receiving higher pay for his 2025 season.
The Seahawks had a lot of stars and great contributors on defense last season. By the end of the campaign, though, Thomas was clearly one of them. He finished second on the team in tackles behind only second-team All-Pro linebacker Ernest Jones.
Thomas was also second for Seattle in tackles for loss and first among Seahawks linebackers in pass defenses.
The 26-year-old accomplished those feats while playing somewhat of a complimentary role. Obviously, his 763 defensive snaps was a huge rise and were enough for his pay bump in the NFL’s formula.
But Thomas filled the stat sheet while playing just 68% of the team’s defensive snaps during the regular season.
In the playoffs, Thomas continued to play a complimentary role. He played 57.3% of the team’s snaps on defense in three postseason contests.
Yet, Thomas had six combined tackles in every playoff game on Seattle’s way to the championship.
Seahawks Sign Thomas to Contract Extension
The Seahawks may have allowed Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to leave in free agency. But the team didn’t let Thomas get away.
Granted, the linebacker was considerably cheaper. But the Seahawks signed Thomas to a 2-year, $8 million contract to keep him in Seattle.
Even when considering his bump from the NFL’s performance-base payout, the Seahawks will pay the linebacker next season about double what he earned for 2025.
Seattle announced the contract on March 11 before the linebacker could officially become an unrestricted free agent.
“The organization, my teammates, the coaches, this is where I wanted to be,” Thomas said after signing his new contract. “So to be able to sign back here and lock this in, it means the world to me.”
Thomas went unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Las Vegas Raiders signed him as an undrafted free agent, but Thomas didn’t make the Raiders in 2023 training camp.
The Seahawks quickly claimed Thomas off waivers. He appeared in seven games as a rookie and then dressed for all 17 contests during 2024.
Thomas starred at NC State during his college career. He led the ACC with 19 tackles for loss and also had 7.5 sacks in his final college season in 2022.
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