When Ty Simpson ended his season playing below the level we grew to see for most of the season, it brought about an important question, "What should Ty Simpson do?". The options were simple, return to Alabama, enter the NFL Draft, or enter the Transfer Portal. The argument for passing up the draft was that Ty Simpson could make even more money in one season if he hit college football's open market.
In the past, it would've been cut and dry, Ty Simpson said he received 1st Round feedback which would mean he's gone as it's impossible to pass up that level of payday. Instead, teams have looked at how Ty Simpson is a wild card in a weaker quarterback class, and thought that the NFL can no longer offer the best deal.
In our latest NFL Mock Draft, Ty Simpson was picked 21st Overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in a shaky quarterback class.
Ty Simpson is drawing insane money in the Transfer Portal
Much like the NFL Draft, this Transfer Portal cycle doesn't have nearly enough good quarterbacks to fill every teams big need. As teams look for an option at quarterback, Ty Simpson has become a name teams like Miami, Tennessee, and even Ole Miss have tried to lure away from the NFL Draft.
According to Colin Gay of Tuscaloosanews.com, Miami has offered Ty Simpson $6.5 million to pass up the NFL Draft and replace Carson Beck. The Hurricanes aren't the only offer on the table either as Tennessee and Ole Miss each have deals on the table at $4 Million for this season.
For reference, Cam Ward the 1st Overall Pick in the 2025 NFL Draft makes an annual average of $12,209,905, but his base salary this season was $840,000. Jaxson Dart was the 25th Overall Pick in the Draft and his annual average is just $4,244,482 while his base salary this season was just $840,000.
We've now reached the point where for a player like Ty Simpson, taking a massive risk may be entering the NFL Draft. In the past, it's seemed like a foregone conclusion that a player should enter the Draft if they have a 1st Round grade, but now a player like Ty Simpson could be leaving money on the table even if he's a 1st Round Pick.
The NIL deals were supposed to be a way for players to make money off their likeness, but now we're in a pay for play model even if everyone says it isn't. Simpson has also received these offers without entering the Transfer Portal, but teams aren't supposed to be tampering with players either.
It'll be interesting to see how this plays out as Ty Simpson hasn't entered his name into the Transfer Portal, but he also hasn't signed his NFL Draft paperwork.