At some point this week, Ty Simpson will live out what is for many a childhood dream: hearing his name called as he's selected in the NFL draft.
However, there was a brief moment between the end of Alabama's season and his decision to enter the NFL draft where the former Crimson Tide quarterback thought of delaying that dream for another season.
More: Indiana DC Bryant Haines fires back at Ty Simpson's view of Hoosiers defense
In an appearance on former Georgia linebacker David Pollack's podcast, Simpson said he "just had to sit down and consider" the lucrative NIL offers he received to play another season of college football — but not with Alabama. In the end, he went to former Alabama coach Nick Saban for advice.
"I actually talked to Coach Saban about this," Simpson said. "The things he was talking about were, 'Do you want to play football in college, or do you want to play football professionally?' 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."
Simpson, a long-time backup for the Crimson Tide who finally earned the starting role at Alabama in 2025, was highly sought-after among Power Five teams looking to add a veteran quarterback. This, despite the fact he never entered the transfer portal and merely declared for the NFL draft.
As noted by Colin Gay of The Tuscaloosa News — part of the USA TODAY Network — national runner-up Miami offered Simpson to be the highest-paid player in college football with an NIL deal of $6.5 million. Both Tennessee and Ole Miss sent Simpson NIL offers of $4 million.
"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 told Pollack. "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.
"It really just came down to how I wanted to be remembered and what do I want to do."
In his lone season as Alabama's starting quarterback, Simpson led the Crimson Tide to an 11-4 record and the program's first CFP appearance following Saban's retirement. He finished with 3,567 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns while completing 305-of-473 passing attempts. He also rushed for two touchdowns.
The Martin, Tennessee, native is a projected first-round pick in the NFL draft in Pittsburgh. USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis has the Arizona Cardinals trading with the Houston Texans to take Simpson at No. 28 overall on Thursday, April 23 in his latest NFL mock draft.
He is ranked as the No. 2 quarterback on the board by USA TODAY Sports' Ayrton Ostly, and the No. 49 overall prospect in the class by USA TODAY Sports' Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Ty Simpson considered 'life-changing' NIL offers before NFL draft