Ty Simpson could have cashed in on NIL offers so large they would have paid him more than a rookie NFL contract, but the former Alabama QB chose legacy over money, skipping on a $6.5 million offer to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. Now, another Alabama QB is revealing why loyalty to the Crimson Tide mattered more than millions.

“That’s real,” wrote Trent Seaborn, Alabama’s 2027 QB. “Script A means something deep to the ones who love and stay loyal to the program. Respect to Ty for caring more about his legacy than to chase a bag. He’s inspiring.”

Simpson chose how he wanted to be remembered, based on his on-field performance stats, to maintain momentum. In his first year as Alabama’s starter, Simpson threw for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns with just five interceptions, completing nearly 65% of his passes while playing through multiple injuries.

Ole Miss, Miami, and Tennessee all made $4 million offers, while Tennessee made a $5 million pitch, and Miami ultimately pushed the amount to $6.5 million.

“Miami was kind of like, ‘All right, we’re moving on,’ and then they lost out on Sam Leavitt and came back with that big number,” Simpson said. “And then Ole Miss called again and said they could match it.”

Simpson admitted his head was spinning. He talked about the knot in his stomach, missing a duck hunt after church, praying, and calling his parents.

“I really felt good with my decision to go pro, but that amount of money to play college football again for what amounts to about eight months makes you stop and think,” Simpson said. “I remember my parents telling me that $6 million was more than they had made the whole time they had been married, but the thing they wanted most for me was to be happy.”

But hearing his old coach Nick Saban’s voice cut through the noise.

“Take the money out of it,” Saban said. “If everybody was offering you zero dollars, what would you want to do? Would you want to come back and play college ball, or would you want to go play NFL ball?”

That’s why he picked up the phone and called Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb himself, making it clear he wasn’t coming back to college football. He didn’t want to be remembered as “the guy who took all this money and went to Miami or Tennessee for his last year.”

After waiting four years, earning two degrees, and building a reputation in the locker room, he felt taking a one-year payout would mean losing the very legacy he worked to create. “I would have lost everything that I built at Alabama,” he said. But not everyone agrees with Simpson’s decision.

Ty Simpson at a crossroads

FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt has been one of the loudest voices urging Ty Simpson to pause before jumping to the NFL.

“Some news around Ty Simpson at Alabama. The quarterback has reportedly said that he’s going to go to the National Football League. I typically disagree with that decision for him,” Klatt said on his show. “Great player. I love Ty Simpson. He makes NFL throws. I will say this, though: experience pays, and I’m not talking about dollars and cents. I’m talking about success and success rate in the NFL, and more specifically, your ability to go and compete for and win championships in the NFL.”

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Klatt stressed that while money is tempting, it’s the grind and learning the nuances of the game that set QBs up for long-term success. And the numbers back up Klatt’s emphasis on experience. Since 2000, Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks have frequently had lengthy college careers, with at least 50 touchdowns, more than 30 starts, more than 1,200 pass attempts, and hundreds of completions before entering the NFL.

ESPN’s Jordan Rodgers said the same thing, “He should definitely come back to school. He’s not positioning himself as a QB1 or QB2 in the draft based on how his season ended.”

The late-season fade, from Heisman contender to a mixed finish, makes the argument for another year stronger. Yet, Simpson has chosen to bet on himself and his NFL future.