Will Levis projected to miss out on over $20 million following NFL Draft slip

Will Levis sliding from a potential Top 5 NFL Draft pick all the way down to the early second round is going to cost the former Kentucky Wildcat a significant amount of coin.

According to Spotrac, which projects contract value for all players taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, Levis will miss out on over $20 million after not hearing his name called until the 33rd overall pick by the Tennessee Titans. Spotrac projects that Levis will earn a contract worth roughly $9.5 million with a signing bonus of just under $4 million. While that’s still life-changing money, it’s nothing compared to what he could have made.

Had Levis gone among the Top 5 picks like many projected leading up to last week’s draft, the signal-caller would have likely collected a deal worth upwards of $30 million in total value. Spotrac’s numbers anticipate that Anthony Richardson, who went No. 4 to the Indianapolis Colts (a commonly projected landing spot for Levis in the leadup to the draft), will sign a deal worth $33.9 million — a nearly $25 million difference from what Levis is expected to make.

Top 5 #NFLDraft2023 QB Contracts

#1: Bryce Young, $37.9M
#2: C.J. Stroud, $36.2M
#4: Anthony Richardson, $33.9M
#33: Will Levis, $9.5M
#68: Hendon Hooker, $5.7Mhttps://t.co/LvTVTAhV0u

— Spotrac (@spotrac) April 29, 2023

So far, only one pick from the first four rounds has agreed to an official deal with the franchise that drafted them. Former Georgia DT Jalen Carter signed a three-year, $21.8 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles after being taken with the ninth overall pick — right in line with what Spotrac had projected him to earn.

What about the other two Wildcats taken in the draft, RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. and DB Carrington Valentine? Spotrac says that Rodriguez, who was taken in the sixth round with the 193rd overall pick by the Washington Commanders, should expect to receive a $4 million rookie deal while Valentine, who was taken in the seventh round with the 232nd overall pick by the Green Bay Packers, is projected to make $3.9 million with his contract.

While Levis can certainly make up that lost money by performing well enough to earn a second contract, it’s still a tough pill to swallow at the moment.