Quinn Ewers, Who Rejected $8 Million NIL Offer for NFL, Will Just Receive Around $130,000 in Guaranteed Money from Dolphins

Quinn Ewers is one of the most popular quarterbacks with several brand deals from Hulu, Beats by Dre amongst others.

Quinn Ewers, Who Rejected $8 Million NIL Offer for NFL, Will Just Receive Around $130,000 in Guaranteed Money from Dolphins

Quinn Ewers (Image via AP Photo)

In the poor quarterback class of 2025 NFL Draft, the Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers took a high-risk, high-yield challenge and ended up at the bottom of the yield column. The Texas native had a whopping $8 million NIL deal on the table while he announced his declaration for the National Football League Draft.

The NFL Draft, one of the most humbling drafts in recent history, wasn’t any kind to Quinn Ewers. Although projections put him in the latter rounds, dropping to the final round was a bit surprising, to say the least. The 22-year-old was drafted 231st in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins have had a troublesome last year with Tua Tagovailoa‘s brief absence and not-so-totally up-to-the-mark play. The 2024 season showed that the backup room was an area of key concern for the Miami based team. The strategic selection of Quinn Ewers in the final rounds revolved mostly around stocking up on the same, but with lesser financial implications.

Ewers, one of the first amateur athletes to sign a name, image, likeness deal worth over a million dollars, rejected an offer eight times better than his first NIL deal to join the professional leagues. The Texan, as a Dolphins QB, has now barely one-tenth of the deal coming from his initial NFL deal.

As the 231st pick, Ewers is only guaranteed $131,576, his signing bonus, as part of his NFL rookie contract for 4 years, $4.33 million. The rookie has landed himself in quite a pickle after his taste of experimentation.

Furthermore, even in a case of being a backup, Ewers is projected to face strong competition from Zach Wilson. Wilson, a former New York Jets’ QB, joined the Dolphins a few weeks back and noted his commitment to finding a way back to becoming a starter.

Quinn Ewers’ past NIL deals suggest that the player took a strategic decision

Ewers was in a way forced his hand with Arch Manning rising to fame in Texas. However, as the NIL deal suggested, Ewers could have transferred to a different college and been rewarded with even more money.

Quinn Ewers
Quinn Ewers (Image via Open Source)

Nevertheless, Ewers could gain back the millions of endorsements in a short period of time. Ewers is a high-profile quarterback, and several NFL agents and executives have called out his draft slip.

As a high-profile quarterback, Ewers would gain a considerable amount of attention, which franchises noted as something avoidable in the quarterback backup room. ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that NFL agent Ron Slavin reached out to half the franchises to why Ewers was drafted as the 14th and final quarterback of the draft.

As per Archer, Slavin was told, “They thought he was a third- or fourth-round pick, but too big of a name to be a clipboard holder.“ He responded, “Which I think is chickens***.”

Ewers, in his short stint as the Texas Longhorns QB, had established himself as one of the best in the program’s history. He garnered huge attention from several brands like Hulu, New Era, Panini America, and more.

The 22-year-old was also one of the three featured athletes on the cover of the much-awaited College Football 25 video game last summer. He also made a killing with a commercial appearance in the Dr Pepper “Fansville” commercial series.

Furthermore, Ewers, being in a city like Miami, could work in his favor. He has previously done partnerships with pioneering and trending brands in different industries. It is likely that most of these brands would continue to advertise through Ewers in some capacity.

Although Ewers has Wilson as competition, amid Tagovailoa’s injury concerns, he might be getting some playing time and visibility as well. And this visibility could garner him a deal much better than the current gains and even triumph over the $8 million NIL deal. Last but not least, it is too early to write off Quinn Ewers.

Also Read: Predicting Best Undrafted Rookies from the 2025 NFL Draft