Ty Simpson walked away from $6.5 million to chase his NFL dream.
The Alabama quarterback had another year of college eligibility remaining after the 2025 season. Instead, he declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Simpson sits as the No. 2 quarterback on most draft boards this week. He’s projected as a late first or early second-round pick who likely won’t start immediately.
The financial math is staggering. Based on NIL offers Simpson recently revealed, he’s probably making less as an NFL rookie than he could’ve earned staying in college for one more season.
The $6.5 Million Decision
Miami offered Simpson an NIL package worth around $6.5 million to play for the Hurricanes in 2026 after Carson Beck’s departure. Tennessee and Ole Miss both came in around $4-5 million, Simpson said, per On3.
Simpson talked it over with his parents. He remembered advice from Nick Saban before deciding to go pro.
“I really felt good with my decision to go pro, but that amount of money to play college football again for what amounts to about eight months makes you stop and think. I remember my parents telling me that $6 million was more than they had made the whole time they had been married, but the thing they wanted most for me was to be happy.”
The Miami offer kept him up at night.
“I think the last offer was definitely one that I just had to sit down and consider, because it would have been life-changing money. It would have made me the highest-paid player in college, and it was something to where I was like, I can’t just ignore this,”
Simpson said on David Pollack’s podcast, per NBC Sports.
The NFL Numbers Don’t Add Up
NFL Mock Draft Database projects Simpson to land around pick No. 33, the start of the second round.
That slot carries a four-year contract worth $12,937,488 total, according to Spotrac:
- Year 1: $2,352,270
- Year 2: $2,940,338
- Year 3: $3,528,406
- Year 4: $4,116,474
The math is brutal. Simpson’s giving up roughly $4.2 million by choosing the NFL now instead of Miami’s offer.
But Simpson’s thinking longer-term. He’s viewed as the second-best quarterback in a weak class and the top truly available passer behind Fernando Mendoza. He’s locking in over $10 million guaranteed and getting a head start on becoming an NFL starter.
Most other 2026 quarterbacks exhausted their college eligibility first. Carson Beck, Garrett Nussmeier, Drew Allar, Cole Payton and Taylen Green all stayed until they couldn’t anymore.
The NIL era is changing everything about draft decisions.
NFL Rookie Pay Scale
NFL rookie contracts run on a fixed pay scale based on draft position. Every contract spans four years, with higher picks earning more money.
Here’s the 2026 draft contract ranges by round, per Spotrac:
| Round | Highest Total Contract Value | Lowest Total Contract Value |
| 1 | $54,565,500 (No. 1 overall) | $16,168,614 (No. 32 overall) |
| 2 | $12,937,488 (No. 33 overall) | $7,722,792 (No. 64 overall) |
| 3 | $7,274,960 (No. 65 overall) | $6,599,626 (No. 100 overall) |
| 4 | $5,482,354 (No. 101 overall) | $4,993,306 (No. 140 overall) |
| 5 | $4,781,518 (No. 141 overall) | $4,604,883 (No. 181 overall) |
| 6 | $4,565,698 (No. 182 overall) | $4,440,874 (No. 216 overall) |
| 7 | $4,417,085 (No. 217 overall) | $4,359,258 (No. 257 overall) |
The gap between college NIL money and NFL rookie deals keeps growing. Simpson’s decision shows how complicated these choices have become for top college players.
