Jameis Winston argues NIL, transfer portal make quarterbacks more 'prepared' for NFL success

When Jameis Winston was at Florida State, he was one of the biggest names in the sport. He won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Seminoles to a national championship in 2013 before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

If NIL was around when he played, Winston knows he would’ve done well. But he also sees the impact it has on the next generation of quarterbacks in the NFL.

Winston cited NIL and the transfer portal as reasons quarterbacks have an easier transition to the next level. Because they get to go against multiple defenses and play in multiple schemes, they have an easier time adjusting because they’ve done it before.

“I do think it is allowing the quarterback position to get more prepared for the NFL, as we see with Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow and Michael Penix,” Winston told Front Office Sports on Radio Row at Super Bowl LIX.

“They’re able to come into the league at 24, 25 years old with elite experience, being at different conferences, facing different defenses and playing a lot of football to allow them to have great career in the NFL.”

How NIL impacts NFL Draft decisions

Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix Jr. were all part of a talented 2024 quarterback draft class, along with Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. Four of those five players transferred during their college careers – with Nix, Daniels and Penix all playing five years.

Daniels went on to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year while Nix finished third in the voting. Penix sat behind Kirk Cousins in Atlanta to start the year, but played well after taking over the starting role toward the end of the season.

With NIL and the portal emerging as key parts of the college football landscape, more underclassmen are returning for one more season. This year, 70 players declared for the draft early prior to the national championship. That’s up from last year, but it still continues a downward trend from the 131 who did so in 2021 before the NIL era began.

In 2022, 73 players declared for the draft early, and 69 did so in 2023. The lowest total came in 2024 with 58 declarations.

Jameis Winston: ‘We’d have made a lot of money’

While Jameis Winston was rising to stardom at Florida State, though, he knows he could’ve been a key player in the NIL space. That said, he also sees a larger impact it has on college football.

Winston lamented the lack of true “dynasties” that could be around amid so much player movement. Instead, he said, it comes down to who hare the most dollars to spend.

“I try to see the good in everything,” Winston said. “Obviously, I’m disappointed that the NCAA could not find a way to have NIL back when I was playing because we’d have made a lot of money.

“I’m excited about the opportunity that it awards the players. But I do kind of miss the growth and development of seeing these dynasties prepare. I don’t think we’ll ever see college football dynasties anymore because it’s about who can spend more.”