Folks who track such things last week were estimating that Jack Pyburn could make around $1 million in 2026 if he was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and allowed to return to college at LSU. Except, well, the Kansas City Chiefs had other plans.
The Chiefs on Monday afternoon claimed the linebacker off waivers from the Bucs, per the NFL waiver wire.
That means Pyburn’s NFL career continues as a member of the Chiefs’ 53-man roster.
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It also means Pyburn is seemingly headed for a pay cut by being in the NFL rather than back in college.
Yes, crazy world.
Pyburn’s rookie salary is scheduled to be $885,000. And that is less than the $1 million he was expected to make in college.
So we have reached the critical juncture where the NIL rules and countless court filings and rulings on eligibility have turned college football into something of a financial competitor for the NFL in the case of some players.
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It’s been that way before.
There have been examples where quarterbacks forego their final years in college and the sizeable pay they might have earned in that season, and go to the NFL to take a financial shave.
But that’s quarterbacks.
Stars.
And it is their choice to start what promises to be a lucrative career longterm.
Jack Pyburn?
He was not drafted in April coming out of LSU. He played only one season there after playing at the University of Florida in 2023 and 2024.
Pyburn played in 12 games with 11 starts at LSU and collected 52 tackles with 2 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. That’s nice.
But that doesn’t scream $1 million nice.
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And how did we get here?
Pyburn was part of a lawsuit filed by more than 30 athletes in Louisiana that won a temporary restraining order allowing them to play in college in the 2026 academic year.
Pyburn and other players meeting certain criteria who signed with or were drafted by NFL teams were allowed to return to school as long as they could terminate their pro contracts and repay any pro earnings.
Pyburn was reportedly ready to do that with the Bucs because they were expected to cut him – as they eventually did. They had guaranteed him $115,000, including a $15,000 signing bonus.
But now that contract is not terminated. It and the rights to Pyburn belong to the Chiefs.
Pyburn, by the way, reportedly informed LSU that he is withdrawing his name from the ongoing eligibility lawsuit and will remain in the NFL – not that the Chiefs gave him a choice, really.
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