OTF Premium How much money will the 2025 Texas draft class make from their rookie contracts?

[Jeff Howe]

The next step for the historic group of Longhorns who accounted for a school-record 12 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft is coming to terms on their rookie contracts.

Six of the 12 rookies were signed, sealed and delivered to their respective franchises as of Sunday. Gunnar Helm was the most recent Texas draftee to sign, agreeing to terms with the Tennessee Titans, although the terms of the fourth-round pick’s (No. 120 overall) deal have yet to be made public.

With that said, the following are the reported terms for which the other five former Longhorns have signed.

Kelvin Banks Jr., New Orleans Saints (Round 1, No. 9 overall pick): Banks, Jahdae Barron and Matthew Golden stand to make more money than the reported figures if their fifth-year options are picked up. Banks signed a four-year deal with a signing bonus of more than $6.93 million, but the total value of his contract ($27.7 million) is fully guaranteed.

Barryn Sorrell, Green Bay Packers (Round 4, No. 124 overall pick): Sorrell’s four-year, $5.14 million deal includes a signing bonus of $941,852. The signing bonus is the only portion of Sorrell’s contract guaranteed to be paid out.

Jaydon Blue, Dallas Cowboys (Round 5, No. 149 overall pick): Blue’s deal is for four years with a total value of $4.63 million. His signing bonus ($427,068) is the only guaranteed portion of the contract.

Hayden Conner, Arizona Cardinals (Round 6, No. 211 overall pick): Conner’s signing bonus ($174,280) is the only guaranteed money headed his way on the four-year, $4.37 million deal he signed.

Quinn Ewers, Miami Dolphins (Round 7, No. 231 overall pick): Ewers signed a four-year deal worth $4.33 million. The only guaranteed money Ewers has coming to him is his signing bonus ($131,576).

The five Texas products have signed NFL rookie contracts worth $46,206,022. Of that money, $27,406,022 is fully guaranteed, with $8,607,588 in signing bonuses.

The projected contract values based on the rookie wage scale, which changes every year based on the salary cap increasing or decreasing, aren’t far off from the money for which the remaining draftees will sign. The biggest issues preventing rookie contracts from getting done include language (some teams will look to put various classes in the contract that protect them from shelling out money they don’t believe they should be on the hook for) and when certain portions of the guaranteed money will be paid out.

According to Spotrac, the following dollar figures are the total value of the contracts that the seven (including Helm) remaining Longhorns are projected to earn:

Jahdae Barron, Denver Broncos (Round 1, No. 20 overall pick): $18,048,198

Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers (Round 1, No. 23 overall pick): $17,551,274

Alfred Collins, San Francisco 49ers (Round 2, No. 43 overall pick): $10,296,326

Andrew Mukuba Philadelphia Eagles (Round 2, No. 64 overall pick): $7,155,826

Vernon Broughton, New Orleans Saints (Round 3, No. 71 overall pick): $6,634,052

Gunnar Helm, Tennessee Titans (Round 4, No. 120 overall pick): $5,171,100

Cameron Williams, Philadelphia Eagles (Round 6, No. 207 overall pick): $4,401,198

When the remaining unsigned contracts are official, the Texas draft class will be worth an estimated $115,463,996.

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[hookemrj13]

This kind of highlights how the "dream" of making it to the NFL may be bittersweet. 

$174000 signing and that's all you're guaranteed? That is rough! You could get that then not make the team or be out the next year with a bit more. 

[Joe Zura]

I’ll let you slide me some of that bread @Jeff Howe 😂👀

[CJ Vogel]

Love to see this many Longhorns infiltrating the NFL for a second consecutive season!

[jkates]

Incredible. Keep the assembly line rolling, Sark!

[jdhdavis]

Of course the question will be at what point in the draft is a yearly contract lower than a player’s NIL potential as a 4th or 5th year in college.

[UT92]

Add in Gbenda, Holmes, Norton, Bolden and Majors that have signed UDFA contracts that's just an amazing influx of horns into the league. I would have to think that if the legal case ends in his favor, Bond would be added to the UDFA list to make 18 total.

[Tuco Ramirez]

Damn. Quinn’s taking a hell of a pay cut.

[chennups]

amazing!

[FootLaw]

Quinn was frustrating at times but he's still a big part of why Texas is rolling right now. He left money on the table so he could finish as a Longhorn. I hope he has the biggest chip on his shoulder and proves everyone wrong. 

[Ace Recruiter]

Quinn might be paying more in taxes this year than his guaranteed money

[Hashtag]