Analyst says Trevor Lawrence has missed out on at least $150 million in earnings |
Trevor Lawrence is set to go No. 1 overall and kick off the next stage in his professional career next week with the NFL draft.
One Sports Illustrated analyst did wonder recently just how much Lawrence could have profited off of his stature as a player already, and the figures are pretty staggering. "Listen, I get it: No one is going to cry for Trevor Lawrence. But the facts are that he missed out on life-changing wealth as he starts a career that, as we know, could end on any play," Andrew Brandt wrote, an SI business and sports law analyst. "Between being drafted in the post-2011 CBA era, a pandemic, the only sport with a three-year eligibility rule (Editor's note: college baseball has a similar rule) and the pre-NIL era, Lawrence may have lost out on, conservatively, $150 million in earnings." In the midst of a pandemic, Brandt estimates that instead of rookie salaries going up -- Lawrence will likely have a lower total salary than previous No. 1 NFL draft pick Joe Burrow, topping out at about $35 million. That is on top of changes earlier last decade to the rookie pay scale that likely would've netted Lawrence $70 million more as a top QB prospect. Brandt also speculates that Lawrence would have been a No. 1 draft pick after the 2018 season and Clemson's most-recent national championship, if NFL rules allowed it. Brandt estimates Lawrence would have $70 million in the bank if those rules weren't in place. Lawrence also would have thrived if the upcoming NCAA name, image and likeness rules were in place during his time in college. Opendorse projected conservatively that Lawrence could have made $3 million to $5 million off his NIL.
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