NIL has changed the game, allowing freshmen like Arch Manning to rake it in. Meanwhile, the NFL MVP favorite is making under $1 million at a premium position this season for the 49ers.
@boardroom Salaries and valuations, awards and donations. #brockpurdy #49ers #archmanning #texasfootball #texaslonghorns ♬ original sound – Boardroom
First off, let’s get this out of the way right now — we do not know, nor is there an official way of knowing, how much money University of Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning has actually raked in during his freshman campaign in Austin.
As one of the most hyped-up recruits coming out of high school in the last decade, Manning was sought after by nearly after college football program in the country before he settled on the Longhorns. So it’s no surprise that, despite throwing the ball just five times in mop-up duty against Texas Tech in November, the freshman QB’s NIL valuation ranks No. 2 in the country at $2.8 million, behind only Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders ($4 million).
To further emphasize: The $2.8 million figure is NOT how much money Manning has officially earned through various NIL deals, although it could be. It also could be higher, or lower.
Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.
We truly do not know, but On3’s NIL Valuation tool, which uses an algorithm based on 27 years of data to project an athlete’s annual value, is one of the more reliable — and oft-cited — sources in the NIL space, therefore making it a good measuring stick for comparisons. Even so, speaking of comparisons, it’s hard not to throw that Arch Manning number up against, say, one of the favorites to win NFL MVP this season in San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy.
His story is well-known by now — Mr. Irrelevant, drafted with the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, earning his way to the top of the depth chart to lead the 49ers to the top of the NFC as bonafide contenders. With the QB position being a premium one in the NFL, with teams seemingly always overpaying for guys that don’t end up living up to that contract, it’s the opposite in San Francisco.
Not long after being drafted, Purdy signed a four-year, $3.73 million contract with the 49ers, presumably to be the backup. But after beating out his competition and taking over as QB1, Purdy has now become the ultimate bargain steal at the position, making just $870,000 this season.
Boardroom’s Gabe Oshin breaks down how a backup college football QB in Arch Manning could be potentially raking in more money than the guy who may end up taking home the MVP trophy for the 2023 NFL season in Brock Purdy.
