Tetairoa McMillan's rookie NFL contract is eye-popping

Former Arizona Wildcats star receiver Tetairo McMillan made life-changing money on Thursday night.

Drafted No. 8 overall by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, McMillan instantly became a millionaire.

Immediately after he was drafted, ESPN did a live interview with McMillan's mother, Shawn Dutro. And she was understandably emotional.

"I'm just beyond proud. This means so much. We come from humble beginnings, so this means so much," Dutro said as she teared up.

McMillan, who was born in Hawaii and raised in Southern California, comes from a tight-knit Polynesian family. His father, Wyatt, works in the construction industry and his mother stayed home to raise their four children.

McMillan will make $251K per game

As a first-round pick, McMillan will get a four-year contract with a fully guaranteed fifth-year team option that must be exercised by Carolina prior to May 1 before the fourth season of his deal.

According to Spotrac.com, McMillan's four-year deal will be worth $27,887,104. That includes his signing bonus, base salary, offseason workout per diem, base-salary guarantees, performance incentives and roster bonuses. His signing bonus is expected to be $16,921,527.

McMillan's rookie salary will be $4,519,501. NFL players are paid per game, which equates to 18 game checks (17 games plus a bye week). McMillan will earn roughly $251,083 per game, before taxes are taken out.

The NFL's rookie salary scale, which has been in place since 2011, takes the guesswork out of predicting what a rookie will be paid. Every draft slot comes with a predetermined salary. If McMillan had been drafted No. 12 by the Dallas Cowboys — as many draft pundits predicted — his four-year deal would have been more than $5 million less.

A 6-foot-4, 219-pound wide receiver, McMillan caught 213 passes for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns during his three seasons at Arizona.

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