After turning down massive NIL money, Ashton Jeanty set to become one of NFL’s highest-paid running backs

Ashton Jeanty famously turned down a lucrative NIL payday last year to stick with Boise State. 

The tailback chose continuity over a short-term financial gain, and the results were nothing short of spectacular. 

As the bell cow of Boise State’s offense, Jeanty led the country as a junior with 2,601 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. He placed second in the Heisman Trophy voting as Boise State reached the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. 

Jeanty’s decision looks brilliant in hindsight following Thursday’s opening round of the NFL Draft. 

The Las Vegas Raiders selected Jeanty with the sixth overall pick. According to Spotrac, Jeanty will receive a fully guaranteed contract of roughly $35.8 million with a signing bonus in excess of $22 million. 

Only Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley ($36 million guaranteed) will have a bigger guaranteed contract next season among NFL running backs. 

“I’m just thankful for this opportunity,” Jeanty said in his post-draft press conference. “I’m going to show everybody why the position is valuable and (why) it is great to take an exceptional running back in the first round.”

Raiders general manager John Spytek said that Jeanty’s combination of talent and character was too much to pass up. Under new head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the Raiders want to establish the run and embrace physicality. 

“As we went through the evaluation, we talked to him and we talked to people around him at Boise and the people that support him,” Spytek said. “You get to know the kind of person he is and the competitor he is, and it made a lot of sense at a position that we need, that we really value in coach Carroll’s system and Chip’s system. He can be a foundational piece for us.”

Jeanty’s rookie contract will be a four-year deal with a fifth-year option. 

In terms of total money in his contract, Jeanty will rank sixth among NFL running backs behind Josh Jacobs ($48 million), Jonathan Taylor ($42 million), Barkley ($41.2 million), Christian McCaffrey ($38 million) and Rhamondre Stevenson ($36 million). 

The 5-foot-8, 211-pound Jeanty tallied 1,970 yards after contact as a junior while forcing 164 missed tackles. His 2,601 rushing yards rank second on the FBS all-time single-season rushing list, trailing only Barry Sanders’ 2,628 yards during the 1988 season.

Jeanty ended his Boise State career with 750 carries for 4,769 yards and 56 total touchdowns. A two-time MWC Offensive Player of the Year, Jeanty won the 2024 Maxwell Award (college football player of the year) and Doak Walker Award (best running back in college football).