Impact of NIL Money on Incoming Players (1 Viewer)

[Anarchy99]

Just curious moving forward what will happen to star college players now that they can get boatloads of NIL money. For example, Caleb Williams has allegedly said that he will return to college unless he is drafted by DAL, LV, MIN, NYG, or SF. He claims that he would make money staying in college that he would make as a rookie in the NFL LINK

He may make a lot more than other college players, but are we entering an era where highly touted, draft eligible college players may want to stay in school? In Williams case, if he played another year in college, the chances he got drafted in 20025 by one of his preferred 5 teams may not be any greater than it would in 2024.

I'm not sure that what he says is remotely accurate. Bryce Young got a $24 million signing bonus as the #1 pick this year. I don't see Williams getting anywhere near that if he stayed at USC. Add in that he'd also have to wait a year to get off his rookie contract into a mega contract, and IMO, it doesn't make any financial sense to go back to college because he got selected by a poor team that's not on his list.

 

[Chaka]

Was that a direct quote from Williams? I thought it was social media rumor/click bait.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Just curious moving forward what will happen to star college players now that they can get boatloads of NIL money. For example, Caleb Williams has allegedly said that he will return to college unless he is drafted by DAL, LV, MIN, NYG, or SF. He claims that he would make money staying in college that he would make as a rookie in the NFL LINK

He may make a lot more than other college players, but are we entering an era where highly touted, draft eligible college players may want to stay in school? In Williams case, if he played another year in college, the chances he got drafted in 20025 by one of his preferred 5 teams may not be any greater than it would in 2024.

I'm not sure that what he says is remotely accurate. Bryce Young got a $24 million signing bonus as the #1 pick this year. I don't see Williams getting anywhere near that if he stayed at USC. Add in that he'd also have to wait a year to get off his rookie contract into a mega contract, and IMO, it doesn't make any financial sense to go back to college because he got selected by a poor team that's not on his list.

I think that he could match just the rookie year base salary from NIL money, but like you said, not the signing bonus. He may just be thinking about that base salary and assuming that all of the rest of the future money will just be there the next year. I'm sure in his mind there is no risk of injury or even having his stock drop due to unforeseen circumstances, but it certainly seems like it is better to start the clock on the NFL career and locked-in money as soon as you can.

 

[coyote5]

Exactly. There is huge value in starting the clock and getting to that second NFL contract where the real QB money is.

 

[Grahamburn]

Just curious moving forward what will happen to star college players now that they can get boatloads of NIL money. For example, Caleb Williams has allegedly said that he will return to college unless he is drafted by DAL, LV, MIN, NYG, or SF. He claims that he would make money staying in college that he would make as a rookie in the NFL LINK

He may make a lot more than other college players, but are we entering an era where highly touted, draft eligible college players may want to stay in school? In Williams case, if he played another year in college, the chances he got drafted in 20025 by one of his preferred 5 teams may not be any greater than it would in 2024.

I'm not sure that what he says is remotely accurate. Bryce Young got a $24 million signing bonus as the #1 pick this year. I don't see Williams getting anywhere near that if he stayed at USC. Add in that he'd also have to wait a year to get off his rookie contract into a mega contract, and IMO, it doesn't make any financial sense to go back to college because he got selected by a poor team that's not on his list.

I think that he could match just the rookie year base salary from NIL money, but like you said, not the signing bonus. He may just be thinking about that base salary and assuming that all of the rest of the future money will just be there the next year. I'm sure in his mind there is no risk of injury or even having his stock drop due to unforeseen circumstances, but it certainly seems like it is better to start the clock on the NFL career and locked-in money as soon as you can.

I'm pretty sure he's got some "people" advising him. He'd be passing up a $25M signing bonus, risking injury to go back to play at USC, and foregoing another year toward the huge payday. That's just not smart. Then there's no guarantee any team he wants to play for is at the top of the draft in 2025 anyway.

I guess he can try to force a trade to one of those teams? Although, as was posted earlier I don't think this is a direct quote from him.

I'd love to see someone take on the NFL and the Draft process though. High drama.

What happens if he refuses to play for the team that drafts him? He doesn't have the option to go play baseball like Bo Jackson did. Is he eligible to enter again in 2025 or does the team that drafted him in 2024 still own his rights?

 

[Boston]

All about leverage...the numbers don't make sense not to go but prior to NIL they made even less since...in today's NFL it probably only applies to high-end QBs but in the past there have been situations like Elway and Eli who forced their way to other teams...Elway had the threat of the Yankees and Eli has a wealthy family so they had a little more leverage than most players...NIL $ gives a little more meat behind the threat of not wanting to play for a certain team but ultimately if a player chooses this path they are playing with fire.

 

[Anarchy99]

Just curious moving forward what will happen to star college players now that they can get boatloads of NIL money. For example, Caleb Williams has allegedly said that he will return to college unless he is drafted by DAL, LV, MIN, NYG, or SF. He claims that he would make money staying in college that he would make as a rookie in the NFL LINK

He may make a lot more than other college players, but are we entering an era where highly touted, draft eligible college players may want to stay in school? In Williams case, if he played another year in college, the chances he got drafted in 20025 by one of his preferred 5 teams may not be any greater than it would in 2024.

I'm not sure that what he says is remotely accurate. Bryce Young got a $24 million signing bonus as the #1 pick this year. I don't see Williams getting anywhere near that if he stayed at USC. Add in that he'd also have to wait a year to get off his rookie contract into a mega contract, and IMO, it doesn't make any financial sense to go back to college because he got selected by a poor team that's not on his list.

I think that he could match just the rookie year base salary from NIL money, but like you said, not the signing bonus. He may just be thinking about that base salary and assuming that all of the rest of the future money will just be there the next year. I'm sure in his mind there is no risk of injury or even having his stock drop due to unforeseen circumstances, but it certainly seems like it is better to start the clock on the NFL career and locked-in money as soon as you can.

I'm pretty sure he's got some "people" advising him. He'd be passing up a $25M signing bonus, risking injury to go back to play at USC, and foregoing another year toward the huge payday. That's just not smart. Then there's no guarantee any team he wants to play for is at the top of the draft in 2025 anyway.

I guess he can try to force a trade to one of those teams? Although, as was posted earlier I don't think this is a direct quote from him.

I'd love to see someone take on the NFL and the Draft process though. High drama.

What happens if he refuses to play for the team that drafts him? He doesn't have the option to go play baseball like Bo Jackson did. Is he eligible to enter again in 2025 or does the team that drafted him in 2024 still own his rights?

Unless they changed the draft rights rules, the team that drafts a player only holds the player's rights for a year. The player would be eligible to be drafted again in the following draft. The first team could roll the dice and hope the player changes his mind, or they could draft him and trade him.

IMO, the only two ways Williams would end up where he wanted was if one of his desired teams traded up for him, or he waited until the following draft and fell in the draft. Falling in the draft would impact his contract, so that might not be the ultimate financial outcome that he would be looking for.

 

[Grahamburn]

And then what's to stop him from holding out for an upper-echelon QB contract immediately? I know they're "fixed" now, but a team dropping the #1 on him has all the incentive in the world to get him on the field.

 

[menobrown]

Was that a direct quote from Williams? I thought it was social media rumor/click bait.

It was fake and I doubt we ever see NIL money get so large a QB would stay in school over it and risk the money from that second contract.

Now a RB might.

 

[massraider]

@nfcnorthnewss

With two of the letter 'S'. Not a typo.

That's the source

 

[Mister CIA]

@nfcnorthnewss

With two of the letter 'S'. Not a typo.

That's the source

That would explain "unless he is drafted by DAL, LV, MIN, NYG, or SF." Also, if he had a demand list, seems like Los Angeles would be included.

 

[Snotbubbles]

Exactly. There is huge value in starting the clock and getting to that second NFL contract where the real QB money is.

There is even more value in making sure you're in the right "situation" for your development.

 

[Snotbubbles]

Just curious moving forward what will happen to star college players now that they can get boatloads of NIL money. For example, Caleb Williams has allegedly said that he will return to college unless he is drafted by DAL, LV, MIN, NYG, or SF. He claims that he would make money staying in college that he would make as a rookie in the NFL LINK

He may make a lot more than other college players, but are we entering an era where highly touted, draft eligible college players may want to stay in school? In Williams case, if he played another year in college, the chances he got drafted in 20025 by one of his preferred 5 teams may not be any greater than it would in 2024.

I'm not sure that what he says is remotely accurate. Bryce Young got a $24 million signing bonus as the #1 pick this year. I don't see Williams getting anywhere near that if he stayed at USC. Add in that he'd also have to wait a year to get off his rookie contract into a mega contract, and IMO, it doesn't make any financial sense to go back to college because he got selected by a poor team that's not on his list.

I think that he could match just the rookie year base salary from NIL money, but like you said, not the signing bonus. He may just be thinking about that base salary and assuming that all of the rest of the future money will just be there the next year. I'm sure in his mind there is no risk of injury or even having his stock drop due to unforeseen circumstances, but it certainly seems like it is better to start the clock on the NFL career and locked-in money as soon as you can.

I'm pretty sure he's got some "people" advising him. He'd be passing up a $25M signing bonus, risking injury to go back to play at USC, and foregoing another year toward the huge payday. That's just not smart. Then there's no guarantee any team he wants to play for is at the top of the draft in 2025 anyway.

I guess he can try to force a trade to one of those teams? Although, as was posted earlier I don't think this is a direct quote from him.

I'd love to see someone take on the NFL and the Draft process though. High drama.

What happens if he refuses to play for the team that drafts him? He doesn't have the option to go play baseball like Bo Jackson did. Is he eligible to enter again in 2025 or does the team that drafted him in 2024 still own his rights?

He can refuse to sign, hold out the entire year and re-enter the draft.

He could also take the Rocket Ismail approach.

 

[Chaka]

Exactly. There is huge value in starting the clock and getting to that second NFL contract where the real QB money is.

There is even more value in making sure you're in the right "situation" for your development.

Yet he allegedly had the Raiders on the list so we know it's a bogus story.

 

[FarFromHome]

The short answer is prolly. I'm on team these athletes need to get paid. ESPN 30 for 30 the Fab Five one. I remember Jalen Rose telling the story about how he went to Foot Locker and they had clearly his black sock, baggy shorts imagery everywhere. He thought it was crazy these places were marketing him while he was scraping money together to eat Taco Bell. That always stuck with me. I think getting paid these athletes have options. Options are good

 

[Brunell4MVP]

The short answer is prolly. I'm on team these athletes need to get paid. ESPN 30 for 30 the Fab Five one. I remember Jalen Rose telling the story about how he went to Foot Locker and they had clearly his black sock, baggy shorts imagery everywhere. He thought it was crazy these places were marketing him while he was scraping money together to eat Taco Bell. That always stuck with me. I think getting paid these athletes have options. Options are good

The answer for that is don't go to college. Take your image to the pro level. And that colleges should primarily be in the academics business because , ya know, that's what college is really for despite what the media, athletics boosters, and advertisers have tured it into.

Now the fact that the NFL (and NBA on and off) have rules that prohibit players from playing until they play x years of college, it's part of the same discussion. They are essentially propping up college sports with those rules.

Jalen Rose, etc ... he could have taken his game to Europe, Japan, or whatever and profited off his likeness there. Nobody told him he had to go to Michigan. Kobe didn't. Jokic didn't.

I'll add ... this happens in other sports. MLB. Tennis. Golf. Rory and many foreign golfers never went to college or maybe did so for a year to get to the US (Rahm a few years, Grahme McDowell at UAB, Colin Montgomery at Houston Baptist), . Rory had committed to ETSU. Instead he took his "brand" to the pro levels in Europe. Seems to have worked just fine.

 

[FarFromHome]

The short answer is prolly. I'm on team these athletes need to get paid. ESPN 30 for 30 the Fab Five one. I remember Jalen Rose telling the story about how he went to Foot Locker and they had clearly his black sock, baggy shorts imagery everywhere. He thought it was crazy these places were marketing him while he was scraping money together to eat Taco Bell. That always stuck with me. I think getting paid these athletes have options. Options are good

The answer for that is don't go to college. Take your image to the pro level. And that colleges should primarily be in the academics business because , ya know, that's what college is really for despite what the media, athletics boosters, and advertisers have tured it into.

Now the fact that the NFL (and NBA on and off) have rules that prohibit players from playing until they play x years of college, it's part of the same discussion. They are essentially propping up college sports with those rules.

Jalen Rose, etc ... he could have taken his game to Europe, Japan, or whatever and profited off his likeness there. Nobody told him he had to go to Michigan

I'll just say I respectfully disagree with u. Go somewhere outside the United States? Ha ha. Well. We know the two sides on this topic and you and I are standing at opposite ends. It's all good. Discussions are good.

 

[massraider]

He could also take the Rocket Ismail approach

Think was floated on Twitter by

@NFLupdatezz

Or someone.

 

[jabarony]

The short answer is prolly. I'm on team these athletes need to get paid. ESPN 30 for 30 the Fab Five one. I remember Jalen Rose telling the story about how he went to Foot Locker and they had clearly his black sock, baggy shorts imagery everywhere. He thought it was crazy these places were marketing him while he was scraping money together to eat Taco Bell. That always stuck with me. I think getting paid these athletes have options. Options are good

No way was Jalen Rose scraping money together for Taco Bell. Unless he already blew through his booster stipend for that day.

 

[FarFromHome]

The short answer is prolly. I'm on team these athletes need to get paid. ESPN 30 for 30 the Fab Five one. I remember Jalen Rose telling the story about how he went to Foot Locker and they had clearly his black sock, baggy shorts imagery everywhere. He thought it was crazy these places were marketing him while he was scraping money together to eat Taco Bell. That always stuck with me. I think getting paid these athletes have options. Options are good

No way was Jalen Rose scraping money together for Taco Bell. Unless he already blew through his booster stipend for that day.

That really wasn't the point though. The point was these companies, like Foot Locker, were clearly marketing him and the Fab Five, at that time, and they personally werent getting anything out of it. Someone was.

 

[IHEARTFF]

sounds like it was BS but that was the most random group of teams ever. Who wants to get drafted by the Raiders lol