Quarterbacks sliding down the hierarchy, relative to expectation, was a theme for the NFL Draft. Shedeur Sanders being dragged, both literally and figuratively, took the cake for being the biggest talking point. However, another signal caller contended with a slide just as stark and just as brutal. Quinn Ewers, formerly the No.1 overall player in the country, came off the board in round 7. The glaring bit of context is that 11 QBs were deemed better prospects and picked ahead of him. A pretty unprecedented fall, especially because it’s sans any off-field issues. Ewers’ fate didn’t just leave him perplexed; it caught his Texas HC Steve Sarkisian by surprise, too. Sark offered some solace, some positivity and a lot of support in the face of an underlying story worth $7.2 million.
This time 4 years ago, Quinn Ewers was the cat’s meow. A damn-near 6-star recruit who was poised to quarterback bluebloods Ohio State. Now, he’s got his proverbial tail between his legs. But there’s one thing worth acknowledging. College Football quality isn’t necessarily transitive to the NFL, which evaluates talent from a different light. So even though Quinn Ewers was deemed the 12th-best QB by the NFL, he’s in the very top echelon at the collegiate level. Experience and ability like his are difficult to come by when the best players ascend to the pros as soon as they’re eligible. So there was a market for Ewers in CFB, who could’ve chosen to traverse the Carson Beck route and maximize earnings through NIL. Hindsight is 20/20, but backing himself and going pro instead has allegedly cost Ewers money he’d be fortunate to ever make up.
Supposedly, Quinn Ewers was offered $8 million by an anonymous school for next season. By choosing to forego this offer in favor of the draft, he has lost out on $7.2 million. Ewers, the 231st pick, stands to make $800k over 4 years on the rookie scale. That’s bad enough, but you’d think he can make up that gulf in the future. After all, that second contract is where players get paid generational wealth. Except, Ewers may never get to that second contract. He’s coming in as a backup to Tua Tagovailoa in Miami, who’s already been paid as the franchise quarterback. It’s within the realm of possibilities that Ewers just never gets the opportunity to prove he’s worth playtime and a big paycheck. It’s a cut-throat world and ascension to the professional ranks hasn’t begun too well for Ewers. Even Steve Sarkisian empathizes with his predicament.
Speaking to the media in the aftermath of the NFL draft, Steve Sarkisian said, “I feel for Quinn. He was a great player for us. I think about a lot of the people who have come into this program over the past four years that have impacted the growth and the trajectory of our program, and he’s right there near the top, if not at the top.” Sark took this opportunity to address a couple of things. For instance, the bigotry and hypocritical conversations around that alleged $8 million offer.
“I think it’s ironic that so many things are written and talked about the players from the negative standpoint that transfer schools or stay in school to take more money…All of a sudden, here’s a guy that said, ‘I want to leave a legacy at Texas. I want to go play in the NFL.’ Now they’re knocking him for not taking the money in college,” remarked Sarkisian. He proceeded to make a massive revelation. Turns out, Quinn Ewers gave Texas a bit of a home-state discount. “Through all this talk about collective and the things that were going on in the world of NIL, [Ewers] never took money from our collective. All of what he did through NIL was his true Name, Image, and Likeness. The intent of the rule. On that front, I’m very grateful for what he did for our program,” resounded Sark.
The glass-half-full perspective of looking at this is that Quinn Ewers probably doesn’t care about that $7.2 million he potentially lost anyway. But conversely, the glass-half-empty perspective dictates he was probably waiting for his big payday to come via the NFL. Sacrificing short-term gain for the long-term. But unfortunately, that pay day never came. Ewers definitely didn’t envision being on 7th-round money when he was making all his financial decisions. Alas, it’s not all doom and gloom. Miami isn’t the worst landing spot, all things considered. Steve Sarkisian concurs with this himself.
Steve Sarkisian openly discusses Quinn Ewers’ fit with the Miami Dolphins
During his aforementioned presser, Steve Sarkisian did delve into what the future looks like for his alum Quinn Ewers. “I think all of us wish he would have gotten drafted higher. But at the end of the day, if I could have picked a place that I think is a great fit for him, I think Miami is a great fit,” Sark said. He elaborated on why this is the case.
“Systematically, what Coach [Mike] McDaniel does is, if not exactly very similar to what we do [at Texas]. There’s going to be a level of comfort for him in style of play. He’s got a lot of great weapons on the outside. It’s a warm weather place. In the end, I think it’s a good fit for him. Now it’s about taking advantage about the opportunity that presents itself,” remarked Steve Sarkisian. If indeed Tyreek Hill stays put with the Dolphins, that receiving corps. of him and Jaylen Waddle sure is great. Ewers won’t have to miss the likes of Xavier Worthy and Matthew Golden on the perimeter in burnt orange. That said, he needs to get on the field first.
Nobody wishes injury or harm on a contemporary. But Ewers will probably need Tua to miss time to get a look in. Tua does have a history of injuries and concussions, so there is a chance the backup gets reps. Skylar Thompson certainly did. It’ll all boil down to whether Quinn Ewers can do enough in his limited opportunity. There’s little to no room left for maneuver. Every day is now a tryst with saving his career as a starting-caliber QB in the game of football for Ewers.
The post “I Feel For Quinn (Ewers)”: $7.2M Loss Forces Steve Sarkisian To Take Stance as He Makes Big Revelation appeared first on EssentiallySports.
