Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers is on his way to the NFL after announcing this week that he was declaring for the upcoming draft.

READ: Quinn Ewers Declares For NFL Draft, Now It’s Officially Arch Manning Time At Texas

Ewers’ declaration clears the way for Arch Manning to take over at quarterback in Austin, which makes sense for Texas and for Manning. But does the decision to declare for the draft make sense for Quinn Ewers? 

Some reports have suggested that Ewers received an $8 million NIL offer to transfer to another school, with more concrete rumors saying he was offered $5 million from Michigan State. That’s a lot of money, not including any other earning opportunities he might have in college. And it raises the question, given his draft stock, would he have been better served by remaining in school?

Quinn Ewers NFL Future Uncertain, Despite Draft Declaration

Some draft prognosticators have placed Ewers at the back of day two, or even stretching into day three of the NFL Draft. Is that really worth giving up on a guaranteed, high-dollar value NIL deal in college? 

Yes, Ewers was going to be replaced at Texas by Arch Manning. But transferring to a different school would have provided an opportunity to continue to develop while earning potentially more than he would in the NFL. 

Bo Nix, for comparison, was drafted 12th overall, and signed a four-year, $18.6 million contract. Yes, NFL teams are desperate for quarterbacks, but it’s unlikely Ewers goes that high. And regardless, he could have made more than that, on a per-year basis, in school. Any school. Yes, Michigan State likely offered $5 million, but had Ewers officially entered the portal, with competition those offers may have risen even higher. 

Coming off what most would describe as a down year, Ewers’ stock isn’t at its highest. A rebound year may not have pushed him into the first round, but at least into day one. Guess we’ll never know.