Quinn Ewers’ $3 Million Panini Deal: The Untold Story Behind the Game-Changing Contract

When you think about the grind from college ball to the NFL, most folks imagine only the locker room hustle and the mammoth contracts. But here’s a curveball—the whole Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) game doesn’t just vanish once a player catches that draft call. In fact, it often shifts gears, opening doors to endorsements and deals that can sometimes dwarf rookie salaries—especially when you’re a guy like Miami Dolphins’ seventh-round pick, Quinn Ewers. This young quarterback may have been the 231st choice on draft day, but he’s already inked a staggering $3 million autograph trading-card agreement with Panini, a figure that almost rivals his four-year NFL contract worth $4.3 million. Critics had plenty to say when Ewers bypassed a transfer to the University of Miami, supposedly leaving millions behind—but right now, he’s clawed back a big chunk of that with off-field earnings alone. It’s a fresh reminder that in today’s football landscape, the paycheck doesn’t just come from touchdowns and tackles—it’s also about how savvy those players are in the business outside the lines… LEARN MORE

Ewers took plenty of criticism for leaving at least million on the table by entering the draft in lieu of transferring to the University of Miami. He’s currently 75 percent of the way there, in non-football earnings at the next level.Plenty of pro players make extra money through endorsement deals. And Dolphins rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers has gotten undoubtedly the biggest payday for any seventh-round draft pick in his first season.Ewers announced on Friday that he signed an exclusive autograph trading-card deal with Panini. Per a source with knowledge of the arrangement, it’s a million deal.Which is not too shabby, given that his slotted four-year contract with the Dolphins as the 231st overall pick pays out a total of .3 million over four years.The NIL reality doesn’t end when a college player comes to the NFL.