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Financial Implications of Matt Corral NOT Opting Out His Bowl Game

Jan 2, 2022

Friends,

I hope you had a great start to 2022!

Quick post today as I plan on increasing my content in the next year.

Matt Corral (Ole Miss QB) and Kenny Pickett (Pitt QB) are both projected to be first round picks in this years NFL draft.

Both were Heisman candidates and led their teams to solid bowl games.

The only difference is that Pickett decided to sit out the bowl game and Corral decided to play in his.

Then this happened.

Matt Corral’s leg got rolled up on in the first quarter and he was carted off the field.

It brought up the question: Should Players Opt Out of Bowl Games?

If I was in their situation I would opt out, but it’s still not an easy decision.

If Corral’s injury turns out to be as serious as it looked we’re talking big money.

About $15 million in losses…minimum.

To determine just how much this injury could cost him we’ll have to use a comparison. Jaylon Smith is the best we got.

At the start of January 1, 2016 Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith was projected to be a top five pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

By the evening, Smith’s world tumbled upside down. Not only did his team lose 44-28, he suffered a horrific ACL tear.

It dropped his draft position all the way down to the second round, where he was scooped up by the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 34 pick.

Based on where Smith was projected to go, he lost about $16 million in salary and bonuses.

That's even after factoring in the $850,000 he made from an insurance policy he took out before the game.

At the start of yesterday, most NFL draft boards had Matt Corral going in the top 10 of this years draft.

QB Justin Fields got drafted 11th last year and his total salary + bonus equated to nearly $30 million.

Depending on the severity of his injury, Corral could fall drastically.

For reference, Kyle Trask was taken 64th in last years draft and signed a contract worth a little over $6 million.

That’s a $24 million difference between Fields and Trask.

And this is how much money Matt Corral could lose out on.

Jaylon Smith might have lost out on $15 million and his career could have looked completely different.

But with all that said…Smith turned it around.

He is currently on the Giants practice squad as he never lived up to that contract.

And Smith doesn’t regret his decision of not opting out of the bowl game.

With all this said, I respect competitors going out to play their final game.

But I do believe opting out is the smart business decision.

If the NCAA wants players to stop opting out they need to increase the amount of teams in the playoff.

Let’s hope Matt Corral has a speedy recovery and his draft stock isn’t impacted severely.