Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers must believe he’ll shatter expectations in the NFL after reportedly declining a lucrative NIL offer from another school.
Per 247 Sports’ Chip Brown, Ewers, who declared for the NFL Draft on Wednesday, rejected an $8M NIL deal.
CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell, a former Florida State and NFL QB, thinks it’s a massive mistake for Ewers.
Ewers isn’t expected to be a first-round pick in the draft, scheduled for April 24-26 in Green Bay.
In Tankathon’s latest mock draft, the Las Vegas Raiders (4-13) take him with pick No. 68 in the third round. Spotrac estimates his rookie contract would be a four-year deal worth $6.4M annually, with a $1.3M signing bonus if the Raiders select him with that pick.
That’s not chump change, but it’s still less than Ewers could have made had he signed the NIL deal.
Ewers, however, has already made money. According to Brown, he earned $6M in revenue over his past three seasons in Austin. After enrolling at Ohio State in 2021, he signed with GT Sports Marketing, raking in $1.4M.
Ewers has also dealt with injuries throughout his college career. He missed seven games over the past three seasons with shoulder and oblique issues.
It’s unclear if the reported deal included an insurance policy to cover an injury that could negatively affect his draft stock. More importantly, Ewers could make more if he emerges as a solid starting QB and secures a second NFL contract.
While he’s not considered an elite prospect, the 21-year-old could have some untapped potential. In three seasons with Texas, he finished with the third-most touchdown passes (68) in school history and led the Longhorns to two straight College Football Playoff trips.
