Dante Moore Forgoes $50 Million NFL Deal to Chase Oregon Title and 2027 Development
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 28
Dante Moore Forgoes $50 Million NFL Deal to Chase Oregon Title and 2027 Development
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 28
Summary
Dante Moore said he turned down what likely would have been nearly $50 million guaranteed as the projected No. 2 pick to return to Oregon for his final college season.
Moore said the choice was driven by Oregon’s national-title pursuit and his own development, with NFL feedback pointing to pre-snap reads and decision-making he still wants to sharpen.
NIL money helped make that possible: top college quarterbacks are believed to earn around $5 million, and Moore is likely at or above that level, though still well below the $57.3 million guaranteed No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza received.
Oregon also offers a strong competitive setup — the Ducks return the 11th-most production nationally and enter 2026 as a preseason top-five team after three straight top-six finishes.
The move still carries injury and draft-stock risk, but Moore and his advisers see it as a long-term bet on a bigger second NFL contract; he is already projected as the No. 3 pick in early 2027 mock drafts.