One of the most intriguing names in the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft has been former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson, who is viewed as the No. 2 QB behind Heisman Trophy-winner Fernando Mendoza. There are some who think Simpson is actually the more pro-ready player and could have a higher ceiling in the NFL, which has led to speculation about how high he will be drafted.
However, some news came out on Monday morning that shows there was almost a world where Simpson wasn't a member of this draft class at all.
According to Simpson, he turned down a massive $6.5 million NIL deal from the Miami Hurricanes this offseason, choosing to enter the draft waters instead. Simpson said this on David Pollack's podcast "See Ball, Get Ball," leading up to the draft, saying that it was an offer that he had to consider, at the very least.
“I think the last offer was definitely one that I just had to sit down and consider, because it would have been life-changing money,” Simpson said. “It would have made me the highest-paid player in college, and it was something to where I was like, I can’t just ignore this. I have to sit down and think about it. That’s how I am, I don’t want to do anything sporadic. I want to sit down and think it all out, and it really just came down to how I wanted to be remembered and what do I want to do.”
Ultimately, Simpson turned down the offer, leading Miami to pick up former Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darrian Mensah via the portal.
While Simpson is expected to make his own life-changing money in the NFL with his first contract, there's always the potential benefit of developing in college for one more year. Ultimately, he leaned on his former coach, Nick Saban, for advice in the situation.
“The things he was talking about were, do you want to play football in college, or do you want to play football professionally?'" Simpson said. "And he was like, ‘Take the money out of it, take the rounds out of it, what do you want to do next year?’ And without a doubt, without hesitation, I said, ‘I want to play professional football.’ And he was like, ‘Well, there’s your answer.’ It was something that I’ve always dreamed of, and I felt that I was ready to take that next step and be the face of a franchise and lead a locker room.”
As we prepare for the draft to start later this week on Thursday night, it will be intriguing to see where Simpson lands. Most expect his name to be called in the first round, but there is a chance he slides to the second round, depending on how the chips fall. Regardless, it's now clear that no matter where he ends up, Simpson turned down a big paycheck to be there.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama's Ty Simpson turned down massive NIL offer from ACC school