Jesse Minter makes promise to Diego Pavia after Ravens sign controversial QB

Days after former Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia went unselected during the 2026 NFL Draft, it was learned that the Baltimore Ravens would be signing him to a three-year deal. 

During a Wednesday appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" program, first-year Ravens head coach Jesse Minter addressed giving Pavia a chance to impress this spring and summer. 

Ravens promise to give Diego Pavia "clean slate"

"We'll certainly have some talks about maybe how to handle certain things a little bit better," Minter said about Pavia, per Nick Shook of the NFL's website. "But, again, any rookie undrafted free agent -- come in and work. Let what you do on the field and by your actions show who you really are. We'll let him come in with a little bit of a clean slate and just give him a platform, along with the rest of the guys coming in, give them a platform to see what they can do."

Pavia's draft stock generated discussions throughout early 2026 due to his size (he's listed at 5-foot-10 and 207 pounds). Meanwhile, Minter's "certain things" comment was likely related to off-the-field headlines Pavia generated before the draft. 

Pavia's online reaction to finishing second in Heisman Trophy voting for the 2025 college season went viral, and he later apologized for his actions. Some of his other alleged predraft antics may have caused teams that took fliers on quarterbacks during last week's draft to pass on him. 

What Ravens liked about Diego Pavia

"One thing I would say about Diego -- and Clark Lea, the head coach at Vanderbilt, is a really dear, close friend of mine -- this guy was a force multiplier at Vanderbilt," Minter added. "He came there at a time when they needed to get it going, and Clark was building something. And this guy made everybody in the building better. He's one of the first people in, he's one of the last to leave. He's a really hard worker."

There is, of course, no guarantee that the undrafted Pavia will enter the upcoming regular season as Baltimore's QB3 behind two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and primary backup Tyler Huntley. For now, Pavia will need to focus on learning a new offense as he attempts to show that he deserves to be on an active roster this coming September.