Payton
Wilson
LB
#41
Payton Wilson
#41LB
Pittsburgh Steelers
Height : 6' 4" · Weight : 242 lbs · Age : 26
NFL record
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | FF | FR | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 4 | 36 | 17 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 17 | 126 | 74 | 52 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 17 | 78 | 49 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 22 |
Contract
Pittsburgh Steelers payroll →- 2026 cap number
- 1.53 M$
- Average per year
- 1.40 M$
- Total value
- 5.6 M$
- Seasons left
- 2 · through 2027
2026
1.53 M$
Not guaranteed
2027
1.78 M$
Not guaranteed
Cap number: the season's salary plus the share of the signing bonus spread over the contract. Total value and average per year cover the whole contract, from its signing.
Advanced stats, 2026 Linebackers
NFL stats →2026 season, in progress (4 games played). The percentile ranks the player among regular linebackers: 90th means better than 90% of them.
Tackles
34
99th percentile
Tackles for loss
4
93th percentile
Sacks
1.0
71th percentile
Pressures
2
42th percentile
Interceptions
0
43th percentile
Passes defended
1
66th percentile
Yards allowed per target
8.0 yd
35th percentile
Passer rating allowed
84.0
53th percentile
Missed tackle rate
10.7 %
48th percentile
Defensive snaps
192
79th percentile
Regular season. Data: nflverse (play-by-play, snap counts), Next Gen Stats, Pro Football Reference. EPA: expected points added. CPOE: completion percentage over expected.
2026 end-of-season projection
NFL trends →Projected WAR
0.0
Games
17
WAR 2026
0.0
Games played
4
WAR already earned, plus his pace (WAR per game over the last three seasons, 60/25/15, pulled toward the group average) over his team's remaining games, given his availability so far.
Trend
→ Stable (0)
- 20240.2 WAR · 0.012 per game
- 2025-0.1 WAR · -0.006 per game
- 20260.0 WAR · 0.000 per game
The trend compares this season's WAR per game with last season's, weighted by games played.
Outlook, age included
+10 · 26 y.o. · prime years
It is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes.
Player ratings, 2026
All ratings →Ratings from 0 to 100, computed over four seasons from data, never by hand, against regulars in the same position group. 75 = established regular, 87 = 90th percentile, 95+ = elite.
OV · Overall
84
Very good
- TCK
- Tackling
- 82
- COV
- Coverage
- 65
- RDF
- Run defense
- 82
- PRS
- Pass rush
- 71
- DUR
- Durability
- 87
- EX
- Experience
- 40
Why these ratings?Hide details
- TCK — Tackling : Tackles made and missed tackles
- COV — Coverage : Yards and passer rating allowed per target
- RDF — Run defense : Run tackles and tackles for loss, per snap
- PRS — Pass rush : Pressures, sacks and QB hits, per snap
- DUR — Durability : Games played out of his team's, over several seasons
- EX — Experience : Seasons in the NFL
WAR and PAL Rating, 2026
How we rate →WAR: the EPA (expected points added) of every play, above replacement level, shared among those who made it, then converted to wins (35.3 points = one win). PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against regulars in the same group (50 = median).
PAL: dimensions
Where WAR comes from (in wins)
Half the EPA of his sacks, interceptions, passes defended, forced fumbles, tackles for loss and QB hits, against his position's average per snap.
Yards allowed per target against his position's average, 0.12 points per yard (measured).
Replacement level: the share of defense the league spends on his position (by payroll), prorated by snaps.
How much better or worse than average his team's defense was (EPA allowed), minus what is already credited to players, prorated by snaps.
The individual part is splash plays and coverage. The rest is the position share and his team's defense, split by snaps played.
| Season | Team | G | WAR | PAL | OV | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | PIT | 4 | 0.0 | 80 | 84 | 34 | 4 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | PIT | 17 | -0.1 | 33 | 77 | 125 | 6 | 2.0 | 1 |
| 2024 | PIT | 17 | 0.2 | 64 | 84 | 73 | 3 | 0.0 | 1 |
Payton Wilson in five questions
What are Payton Wilson's stats in 2026?
Payton Wilson has 1 sack and 1 QB hit in 4 games in 2026.
How old and how tall is Payton Wilson?
Payton Wilson is 26 years old. He is 6'4" (193 cm) and weighs 243 lb (110 kg).
How good is Payton Wilson?
Payton Wilson produced 0.0 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2026 (season in progress), 41st of 87 players at his position in the NFL. His PAL rating is 80 out of 100: excellent for his position.
What number does Payton Wilson wear, and what team does he play for?
Payton Wilson plays for Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL, at LB, and wears number 41.
What is Payton Wilson's projection for 2026?
Our projection has him at 0.0 WAR over the full 2026 season, based on his weighted recent seasons and age.
