When the college football world was going gaga over hot prospects like Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward to be flying off to the NFL, someone missed the hype train. That’s none other than the former Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers. However, he was once projected as a first-round NFL Draft pick. But poor Ewers! He had to wait till the 7th round to go off as the 231st overall pick. And what about the contract? He grabbed a $4.33 million deal. Here comes the other side of the coin. According to the research, by accepting the NFL offer, Ewers left millions on the table. How? Well, the quarterback had college football programs lingering behind him with an NIL offer in hand. Now that what’s done is done, Ewers chose to give a glimpse of his NIL journey just to make his successors aware.
The 2024 season has been a rocky ride for Ewers. Plagued with injuries, his season did not go quite as planned. Yet, the 22-year-old managed to rack up 3,471 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. So, that’s when analysts predicted that he would make a return for another year in college, to make the perfect ending to his college football career. Back then, Ewers was ranked as the No. 9 NIL earner among all college football players valued at $2.8 million. That’s when analyst Dan Patrick came with a reality check. “Why would you go to the pros? You can make $6 million playing.” But no, Ewers chose to be in the pros. And guess what? He is happy with his choice. “The way that it’s kind of been set up for me has been nothing short of unconventional, I think I would say. … It’s nothing short of special.”
Former Texas QB Quinn Ewers looked back back on his NIL journey:
“The way that it’s kind of been set up for me has been nothing short of unconventional, I think I would say. … It’s nothing short of special.”
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— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) May 16, 2025
Ewers could have gotten in the mix at Miami, Notre Dame, or many other bluebloods in search of a signal-caller last winter had he entered the portal. Instead, he chose to be honored with the ‘PRO’ badge even though he had to wait for it unlike Ward and Travis Hunter for whom the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to No.2. Ewers’s first stop in college football was in Ohio State where he stayed for nearly a year and then swapped wagons to Steve Sarkisian’s Texas. In the three years that followed, Ewers became one of the biggest names in college football and left Austin with a $4.5 million On3 NIL Valuation, which ranked as one of the highest in college athletics at the time. But what makes his journey special?
“For me, I go in and lose one game on the road my entire career, go 11-1 on the road. Win a Big 12 title game, go to the College Football Playoff two years in a row and win a Peach Bowl, win multiple Playoff games. It’s nothing short of special.” Now, is he going to miss out on NIL as he now dons the NFL badge? No way. Thanks to Panini America, the exclusive trading card partner of the NFL. Ewers had signed a deal with the brand back in July 2023. That partnership will now continue into the NFL. So, what’s the lesson the quarterback gave to the ones who are going to follow in his footsteps?
“I think the biggest lesson that I like to tell people and kind of how I feel is, if you keep the main thing the main thing, everything else will really fall in line. Because as soon as you lose what you do to earn the NIL, you lose all the NIL.” While Ewers glorifies the journey, what about the loss?
The $8 million fork in Quinn Ewers’ road
A report went viral in the month of January this year. As per 247Sports Chip Brown, Ewers was reportedly offered an $8 million NIL offer to transfer to another school, making the most use of his final year of eligibility. However, the quarterback did not think twice before turning down the offer. Now that he slips to 7 round, signing a rookie deal with the Dolphins. It’s just a fraction of the whole picture. While his 4-year contract amounts to $4.33 million, Ewers is only guaranteed $131,576, his signing bonus. Now, do you need your calculators?
Nah. That’s how Ewers made a hefty amount of $7.2 million just slip away. Just when the quarterback turned into a laughing stock by not thinking about his fortune, Sarkisian took a stand. After all, it makes him proud to boast about Ewers, who, at the end of the day, chose his passion over money. “Everybody has got a comment about a kid who leaves a school and goes to another school for more money…Sometimes, I just wonder. Who are we to judge and criticize a young man who’s making a decision on his future, who’s only done things the right way, to the best of his ability, gave everything to our program?”
Now think about Quinn Ewers’ competitor, Carson Beck. Even the former Georgia quarterback thought of making it to the pro league. But at the end of the day, made a U-turn to college. But not to his old nest and jumped on the Miami Hurricanes’ wagon. And this swap brought in some cash flow. Mario Cristobal reportedly offered him an NIL offer somewhere in the $3-$4 million range. Could staying in college have boosted Ewers’ draft stock and his bank account?
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