Quinn Ewers still had NCAA eligibility remaining when he announced in January that he was entering the 2025 NFL draft, and given how much money college quarterbacks now make, he might have taken a pay cut: Ewers fell to the seventh round when the Dolphins drafted him, and his base salary this year is $840,000, less than he likely would have made for another year of college.
But Ewers says he has no regrets, as he feels ready for the NFL, even if the NFL wasn’t ready to take him until the seventh round.
“I felt like it was time to pursue my ultimate dream,” Ewers said. “That’s being an NFL quarterback and being an NFL player. Sure, I had opportunities to go continue on and play in college, but I feel like I was ready to take that next step and I’m glad I did.”
Ewers may have no regrets, but this year’s crop of college quarterbacks should look at his situation and think long and hard about whether they’re ready to turn pro in 2026. Ewers is expected to make $3 million from an endorsement deal with Panini, but he was expected to make $4 million if he had accepted the Miami Hurricanes’ offer to transfer there. Instead he’ll play with the Miami Dolphins, and hope it works out for him in the long run — even if this year, he’s making less money in the NFL than he would have made in the NCAA.
