Former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers had one year of eligibility remaining at the collegiate level but opted to enter the 2025 NFL Draft instead. It was a controversial move by Ewers, who insiders speculated could receive an NIL contract worth up to $6 million if he returned to college for the 2025 campaign.
The 2025 NFL Draft was a grueling three days for Ewers. The Miami Dolphins took him with the No. 231 overall pick in the seventh and final round of the draft. During an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Finebaum weighed in on Ewers’ decision to go pro.
“It’s a cautionary tale that you probably ought to get really good advice,” Finebaum said. “Listen, as somebody who saw Quinn Ewers a lot this past year, he just wasn’t that great. Everyone knows that. I walked around the Cotton Bowl at halftime of the Ohio State game and I can’t tell you how many Texas fans yelled at me, and when I walked over to say hello, they said, ‘Why is this guy still playing quarterback?’
“And by the way, that was a team that came within a play or two of making the National Championship. So you have to be smart. He just let his ego get in the way, and he made a terrible decision. He would not have been at Texas. We all know that. They didn’t want him anymore. He would have been somewhere like Carson Beck, making a lot of money, having a good time and maybe working on his skills, as opposed to being humiliated the way he was.”
Ewers will sign a four-year rookie deal with the Dolphins worth $4.33 million. While a little over $1 million per year is nothing to scoff at, it pales in comparison to the NIL numbers that were being thrown around for Ewers to return to the collegiate ranks. On Monday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed Ewers’ decision to take his talents to the next level.
“I feel for Quinn,” Sarkisian said. “He was a great player for us. I think about a lot of the people who have come into this program over the past four years that have impacted the growth and the trajectory of our program, and he’s right there near the top if not at the top with the impact that he’s had not only on the field but off the field. His ability to help recruit other players to come be part of our program.
“… I also think it’s ironic that so many things are written and talked about the players from the negative standpoint that transfer schools or stay in school to take more money like it’s a negative,” Sarkisian said. “All of a sudden, here’s a guy that said ‘I want to leave a legacy at Texas. I want to go play in the NFL.’ Now they’re knocking him for not taking the money in college.”
