Michael Vick discusses NIL value, impact on time at Virginia Tech

Former Virginia Tech Hokies superstar and NFL quarterback Michael Vick was a human highlight reel throughout his career. Vick’s dynamic speed and agility made him a must-see at Virginia Tech. And after being selected with the top pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, he continued to dazzle at the next level for the Atlanta Falcons. During a recent appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Vick and Eisen discussed the new college world of NIL. And the pair also gave their thoughts on what Vick could have made if NIL was around when he was in college.

“I definitely think it would have been some dynamic numbers,” said Vick when asked about his possible value. “It definitely would have been enough to keep me around in school. I wasn’t the guy who wanted to leave early, but because of circumstances, in my life, I felt like I was forced to leave early. But I wanted to enjoy that college experience. I felt like I was just growing into my own, grown into a man and then just didn’t want to make life super serious. But sometimes young men gotta make adult decisions and that was a decision I made at the time. I would have bloomed in the NIL space. And I know it would have been done the right way.”

But how much does the former Virginia Tech superstar believe he would have been worth in the NIL era? As he and Eisen put it, a figure with the same number of digits as letters found in the word dynamic — seven.
“North of a million, north of a million. I couldn’t settle for no less than that.”

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Although Vick did not get the chance to play within the NIL era and make a profit off of himself in college, he was able to do that and then some at the professional level. Vick is accredited with being the first NFL player to sign two $100 million-plus contracts in his career. The first was handed to him by the team that drafted him, the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta signed Vick to a ten-year $130 million extension in 2004. The second came in 2011 when the Philadelphia Eagles gave him a $100 million contract over six years with $40 million guaranteed.

Vick will have a chance to work with college quarterbacks within the NIL space as he recently became head of athlete development for Levels Sports Group. Of the clients Vick will have under his tutelage, Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei might be the most well-known, currently. Uiagalelei currently has deals with major corporations such as Dr. Pepper and Bojangles. And according to On3’s NIL Valuation, he is number 77 in the NIL top 100.