The Las Vegas Raiders dealt with a crazy amount of injuries last season, more than the usual you get every year. It seems like every starter went through at least one injury, and whether they ended up playing through it or not is a different story.
This caused an issue. Well, you would think it was an issue, but for teams like the Raiders who weren't very good and really had no shot of making the postseason, it was a good experience, because this allowed young players to be thrown into the fire. Rookies and players who have been in the league for a few years but had little to no experience, got the experience they needed. Guys like rookie cornerbacks Decamerion Richardson and M.J. Devonshire got experience. They got burnt more than they did good, but that helped them learn and get better as the year went on.
And guys like safety Isaiah Pola-Mao got to show what they were made of on a full-time basis, rather than just special teams and the occasional defensive rep. And, he showed that he belonged in the league, as a starter, so much so he was rewarded by the NFL in a big way.
Raiders' Isaiah Pola-Mao earns big pay day
Isaiah Pola-Mao has had a solid NFL career since going undrafted in 2022. He played college football at USC before signing with the Raiders as a free agent. As a rookie, he made the team’s roster and played in 11 games, mostly on special teams, with five tackles. He bounced between the practice squad and active roster that year but showed he could hang in the league.
In 2023, Pola-Mao stepped up, playing in 16 games and getting more defensive snaps. He finished with 20 tackles, a sack, and his first NFL interception against the Miami Dolphins. His role grew again in 2024 after starter Marcus Epps got injured early in the season against the Carolina Panthers. Pola-Mao started 14 games, racking up 89 tackles, three sacks, and five passes defended. His best game came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, where he had nine tackles and two forced fumbles, earning him AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
The Raiders liked what they saw and re-signed him to a two-year, $8.45 million deal. But, that's not even the big pay day I'm referring to.
The NFL released their Performance-Based Pay, which is exactly what it sounds like, guys who outperform what they're expected to do and get rewarded for it, and Pola-Mao ended up earning an additional $855,935 thousand. And, he deserves every bit of it.
