‘CFB Players Make More Than I Made at My Peak’: Joe Montana Jokingly Weighs In on the NIL Debate

The introduction of NIL deals has completely transformed the college football landscape. Athletes as young as 18 to 22 are becoming millionaires before even entering the NFL. Arch Manning, for example, has an NIL valuation of $6.6 million—and he’s not even 20 yet. Believe it or not, some of these young players are making more than legends like Joe Montana did at the peak of his career.

Montana joined Sports Illustrated for an interview during Super Bowl week, where he talked about the current state of the 49ers, Brock Purdy’s future with the team, and reminisced about his days at Notre Dame.

However, it was his response to the question about how much he would have earned if he were in college football today that will steal the headlines.

“I don’t know. But they’re making more than I made at my highest pay with the Chiefs,” Montana said, chuckling.

Despite his answer sounding like a joke, Montana wasn’t fooling around. His highest single-season salary with the Chiefs was $3.3 million—a figure surpassed by Shedeur Sanders‘ NIL deals, which total around $6 million.

Rising CFB players like Arch Manning, Carson Beck, Jeremiah Smith, and Garrett Nussmeier are also set to earn more than Montana’s $3.3 million annual salary. It’s a wild reality, but it shows just how far football has come.

Deion Sanders on the downsides of NIL

Another 90s NFL legend, Deion Sanders, has previously weighed in on the state of NIL in college sports today. While his son made the most out of any player this past year, he still believes some bad things are coming out of this initiative. And it starts with the parents.

“Once upon a time, my parents were praying for us and couldn’t wait until we got to the next level,” Deion told ESPN’s Shannon Sharpe. “And, if we chose to bless them, they received the blessing. Now, these parents will never gain [any] darn thing. They want theirs off the top, and that’s not proper.”

It seems Deion is alluding to the idea that parents of athletes want a cut of their kid’s NIL earnings right from the jump. And it’s negatively impacting the college football recruitment process.

“When kids come to play for me at Colorado, they come to play for me and the coaching staff that we’ve assembled. They hadn’t come to play for money because I let them know that we will maintain you. That pro contract is gonna sustain you.”

Montana played during an era of coach-centric authority. Today, player empowerment is at an all-time high across all sports. With the amount of money generated in college from TV ratings, ticket sales, jersey sales, and other revenue streams, it’s only fair that players get a cut. But their focus shouldn’t be solely on the money.

Some players might focus solely on the payday and become complacent once they reach college. Only time will tell. As long as the general attitude doesn’t shift too far toward prioritizing NIL deals over development, things should be fine.

But as Deion warns, some parents are leading their kids down a dangerous path. It’s hard to believe that some teenagers will make more than legends like Montana did in their playing careers, yet some of these players won’t come anywhere close to the accolades Montana earned in the NFL.