NFL Teams Are 'Talking' About Nico Iamaleava and Questioning Draft Prospects About NIL

The drama surrounding quarterback Nico Iamaleava's exit from Tennessee hasn't gone unnoticed by NFL talent evaluators, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Iamaleava intends to enter the transfer portal following an NIL dispute with the Vols. It's by far the biggest contractual quarrel involving a player during the NIL era.

Russini said Tuesday on her Scoop City podcast that "there was a lot of reaction" to the news within the NFL.

"Turning down more money to stay tells something to teams versus making it about you and making yourself bigger than the team," the NFL insider said. "Whether you like that or not, that is the reality. NFL teams are watching that."

Russini added that NFL personnel are "talking about this now on these draft prospect visits." She cited one player who told a team he turned down a more lucrative endorsement package because he felt a sense of loyalty to his teammates at his current school.

At the end of the day, Iamaleava's situation isn't that uncommon in pro sports. Holdouts or protracted contract negotiations happen every offseason, and they're especially prevalent in the NFL since football players are incentivized to get as much money as they can early in their career.

Absent a more structured system around NIL deals, this may not be the last time a star player leaves unexpectedly for more money, either.

If Iamaleava is good enough, the NIL dispute may factor little in his overall draft evaluation.

Remember when some of Jayden Daniels' former teammates at Arizona State basically ransacked his locker after he entered the portal? You may not because Daniels went on to win a Heisman Trophy at LSU and get picked second overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

Should Iamaleava go on to put up big numbers at his next stop, the circumstances leading up to his departure from Knoxville, Tennessee, probably won't preclude him from being a first-round pick.