How Nick Saban helped Ty Simpson choose the NFL Draft over playing for Miami

It was previously learned that the Miami Hurricanes offered Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson $6.5M to transfer to Miami to serve as the program’s starter for the 2026 college season. Simpson instead declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, but it’s unclear as of the Monday before the player-selection process if he will become a first-round pick. 

During a recent appearance on the “See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack” podcast, Simpson explained how a conversation with former Alabama head coach and living legend Nick Saban helped convince the signal-caller to pursue his pro dreams this year. 

Why Ty Simpson chose the NFL over staying in college

“I actually talked to Coach Saban about this,” Simpson explained, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “The things he was talking about were, do you want to play football in college, or do you want to play football professionally? And he was like, ‘Take the money out of it, take the rounds out of it, what do you want to do next year?’ And without a doubt, without hesitation, I said, ‘I want to play professional football.’ And he was like, ‘Well, there’s your answer.’ It was something that I’ve always dreamed of, and I felt that I was ready to take that next step and be the face of a franchise and lead a locker room.”

Numerous analysts believe that the Arizona Cardinals or a different club will make a trade to select Simpson late in the draft’s first round on Thursday night. According to Smith, such a scenario would result in Simpson receiving a four-year contract worth around $20M that would also include a fifth-year option. 

The Cardinals currently have journeymen Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew as their top two quarterbacks. 

Why rejecting Miami wasn’t easy for Ty Simpson

“I think the last offer was definitely one that I just had to sit down and consider, because it would have been life-changing money,” Simpson admitted about turning Miami down. “It would have made me the highest-paid player in college, and it was something to where I was like, ‘I can’t just ignore this. I have to sit down and think about it.’ That’s how I am. I don’t want to do anything sporadic. I want to sit down and think it all out, and it really just came down to how I wanted to be remembered and what do I want to do.” 

Simpson wants to begin his NFL career this week, but it remains to be seen if the Cardinals or a different team will give him an opportunity to win its starting job this summer.