At many companies, the biggest raises in the C-suite this year didn’t go to those who hold the chief executive title.

New research from several compensation advisories shows that pay raises among named executive officers in the Russell 3000 this past year outpaced those of CEOs.

On one hand, the pay bumps for non-CEOs could show that execs are finally getting a chance to catch up with their bosses, but at least one compensation expert thinks the slimmer margin in growth rate was, more or less, bound to happen at some point.

One recent study published by The Conference Board with Gallagher and MyLogIQ says that “contrary to popular belief, CEO pay at larger companies is stable or even declining, while smaller firms are playing catch-up with double-digit raises for their chief executives.”