Johnny Manziel believes the NFL would have been a pay cut for him if he had NIL at Texas A&M

Johnny Manziel believes it would’ve been a pay cut to go to the NFL when he did in the era of NIL. While he was at Texas A&M, there was nothing bigger than “Johnny Football.”

The Heisman Trophy winner set the college football world on fire, upset Alabama and had the Aggies as the talk of the sport at the time. If Manziel had been offered NIL packages then and for his future collegiate seasons, there’s no telling what his value would’ve been.

But Manziel was pretty confident that he could’ve made more money in NIL and endorsements compared to a rookie contract. In 2014, Manziel signed a four-year, $8.2 million contract as a rookie.

“I tell people this all the time, and they asked me this, I really feel like I would have taken a pay cut had I gone to the NFL,” Manziel said on Always College Football. “I mean, that’s really what it would have been. I mean, it is crazy times that we’re living, and I think, you know, in a lot of areas, still figuring out exactly how to make it work the right way, where it’s not just the biggest boosters and the richest schools. If you look at A&M, you know, I feel like we’ve put a ton of money in it to our NIL, and it hasn’t necessarily translated onto the field. 

“So, you know, I feel guys who are playing at a high level, who are really noticeable and really marketable, are making a great amount of money off the field, to the point where guys have the opportunity to stay in school rather than having to go to the NFL early.”

Manziel’s statement goes along with what he also told McElroy in a similar vein. He would’ve stayed in college if NIL had been a factor over a decade ago.

Manziel burst onto the college football scene in 2012 when he became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy. That year, he threw for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns to help the Aggies to an 11-2 record. Along the way, he set multiple records, including one against Arkansas when he had 557 yards of total offense.

That broke Archie Manning’s record, and Manziel broke his own mark just two games later with 576 yards of offense in a single game. As a redshirt sophomore in 2013, Manziel threw for 4,114 yards and 37 touchdowns as he finished fifth in the Heisman voting.