Did Cam Rising Come Back for the 2023 Season Just For the NIL and…

[The Miami Ute]

Fully well knowing he probably wouldn’t play at all this season? It’s an ugly concept to ponder but is it reasonable? Per On3.com’s Name, Image, Likeness valuation calculation, Rising’s annual intake is estimated to be better than $500,000 – more than double what he’d make if he were to get through an 18-week NFL season on a practice squad. For comparison’s sake, the NFL’s 10 lowest-paid QBs make between $610,000-$670,000. What say you?

[HoosierUte]

if not Cam somebody will.

[The Miami Ute]

Can you elaborate?

[EagleMountainUte]

Idk. It is kind of a moot point. I guess this goes back to the whole transfer point we talk about Miami. I don’t think there was anyone willing to pay for the transfer either. It was the situation Utah was dealt and I just don’t know what to think anymore about it all.

[The Miami Ute]

Well, what gets me Eagle is, and I’m no conspiracy theorist, the constant head game of whether he’s playing this week or not. Are the Utes doing that just to give the opposition something to think about or to disguise the fact that Rising is not playing at all this season? Maybe we’ll never know.

[EagleMountainUte]

The decision to not play Rising or not with opposing coaches preparation is kind of useless I think. If it really is some silly psychology they are trying to play at I don’t get it.

[Central Coast Ute]

I heard an interesting comment on Fox Sports radio. I forget the guys name but it’s the guy with the Greek name and the funny voice. He was saying it sounded to him like it’s his family and his doctor keeping him out and the team doctors are ok with him playing. Which makes sense to me the way he was playing all week last week then suddenly wasn’t right before the game.

[2008 National Champ]

Petros Papadakis?

What would be really funny is if Whitt let Petros run his mouth all pre-game about Rising and have film packages ready to go again this year and then does the opposite of whatever Petros says again.

[The Miami Ute]

That would be Petros Papadakis. Somebody posted here a couple of days ago a comment to the effect that Cam’s agent was also involved in keeping him out of games.

[Kirk Herbstreet]

This is pure butt-wipery of a post. A lot of our fans just plan and simple suck. They act like absolute garbage human beings, accusing coaches and players of terrible things and then say its Kyle’s fault for being so secretive. Sorry, no. You don’t get to blame KW for you acting like a douche canoe.

[EagleMountainUte]

I don’t believe name calling is allowed on this site.

Fans are fans. This is a discussion board where you discuss things.

[Kirk Herbstreet]

But we are okay with accusing players of fraud?

[2008 National Champ]

How is it fraud? Rising gets his NIL money for endorsements, not playing in games. In the scenario presented, he would just need to keep interest in his brand up by appearing to be close to playing.

[The Miami Ute]

Kirk just doesn’t get it…the money is there just by being part of the Utah Utes football team. Cam doesn’t have to play a down to be the face of the team.

[2008 National Champ]

Nah. It was because you presented a scenario that painted TQWSNBN in a negative light. Can’t have that

[The Miami Ute]

Well, that’s just ridiculous. Even if that’s what Cam did, it’s no different than a professional executing his option on an extension. It’s just a logical move on his part.

[2008 National Champ]

Fan =/= Rational. Or maybe he’s playing up the drunk Herbstreit impression and we are missing it. Either way, I think the jokes on us for taking him at face value.

[89ute]

College football is no longer a student athete’s game, playing for the name on your chest.

This is semi-pro sports, thus, semi-pro comments.

They want and need my money, I or anyone else can say any damn thing they want.

[Kirk Herbstreet]

Up to and including fraud, huh? Good to know where you stand. Unreal crap from our fans.

Who needs BYU fans when you have Utah fans like this.

[Central Coast Ute]

How is fraud being committed here? I’d like to hear this one.

[Hellhound152]

Truth. I saw him selling copiers the other night. Les Olson and everyone else is getting what they purchased which was a pitchman, not a D1 QB.

[The Miami Ute]

The only fraud being committed here is in your mind. What I see, if Cam just came back because he knew he would be getting paid, is a guy following his self-interest. Who’s going to turn down a legal way to make $500K+ when it’s there for the taking? Not too many people, I would venture.

[Sasquatch]

Exactly. When money is involved in play then speculation is allowed. I wouldn’t fault Rising for making money when the opportunity presents itself.

[The Miami Ute]

LOL…I kind of expected this type of comment from a guy that has the IQ of a shoe size. Thank God that the vast majority of Utah fans aren’t the low intelligence, low information individual that Kirk “I don’t know how to spell my last name” Herbstreet so eloquently represents.

[NorthernUte]

I’m just curious why we are paying a slightly above average system quarterback $500,000 and we don’t have more boosters complaining about the fact that he isn’t playing. $500,000 is just ridiculous.

[The Miami Ute]

We’ve only played four games so far. If we’re in game 10 and Cam still hasn’t played, you might hear some rumblings. That goes double if the team struggles in the second half of the schedule.

[2008 National Champ]

It’s not Bud Light bad.,,

Rising has earned his endorsements, all the more power to him to keep that going as long as he can. The school isn’t paying for those endorsements so it’s a win if he is able to get back on the field as a reasonable facsimile of his former self. And whoever is paying those endorsements is winning if he is helping them move product.

I’m not sure why people are conflating endorsements with on field production

[UTE98]

Cam injured his ACL in the Rose Bowl.
Cam was not going to make it to the NFL this season.
Cam had more time to receive NIL money during the spring, summer and now fall if he “came back.”
Cam is making more than most of us would in several years.

If i were Cam I would definitely come back for NIL money.
Now if those paying the NIL money aren’t happy tough. It isn’t pay to play at Utah, obviously.
I don’t begrudge Cam for doing exactly what he did with NIL.

Do I want the week in and week out drama of Cam may be playing this week? NOPE! Let him come off the bench in a game if he’s ready to come back. My allegiance is to NJ and even Barnes over Cam at this point from a football game perspective.

I don’t see them as a zero sum game. Good for Cam for getting paid to rehab. Good for NJ for showing up everyday and putting it on the line for my Utah Utes.

I once heard someone say, “You’re all in, or in the way!” I think you know where I feel Cam falls on this scale so far this year.

GO UTES!

[The Miami Ute]

I alluded to it in one of the posts above. I’m starting to think that this whole “is he/isn’t he” strategy is coming straight from Kyle and is a way to keep the opposition guessing.

I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life watching college and pro football. Conventional wisdom says that the guy that’s playing on the weekends gets all of the first team practice snaps and that the guy who’s rehabbing practices with the twos or scout team or whatever.

That goes double if the presumptive starter is an inexperienced QB. I mean, aren’t you hurting your team if you’re taking away practice snaps from Nate? I just don’t get it. And I have to tell you something else…I’m starting to hear some pundits ask the same question because it’s a strategy that doesn’t make sense.

[2008 National Champ]

It would have to be a real deep fake if TQWSNBN isn’t somewhere in the vicinity of being close to game ready. I think all the practices are closed so Whitt can say anything he wants knowing that it will lead to speculation on the parts of his opponents. I suggested that it would be a good idea to have him warm up before UCLA to keep them guessing. If there wasn’t a limit on the number of players you can suit up on the road, I’d say have him in full pads for the entire game tomorrow night even if you have no intention of putting him in the game.

As for the reps, Whitt hasn’t lost a game because of it so he’s not going to change. Anyone who’s played sports or watched Bull Durham knows you don’t eff with a streak.

[DataUte]

Lowest paid qbs? NFL minimum is 750k for a rookie, more for 2nd, 3rd year. But practice squad is 216k paid weekly. If you get called up (Ala Covey), you get the prorated minimum for that week. They can only call you up 3 times before putting you on the roster.

[The Miami Ute]

I couldn’t find data for this season but these were the lowest paid QBs in 2021. I can’t imagine these salaries have increased exponentially since then though.

10 Lowest-paid Backup QBs in the NFL
(Average Annual Salary)
Player Team Avg. Annual $
Steven Montez WAS $610,000
Kenji Bahar BAL $660,000
Eric Dungey CIN $660,000
Kyle Shurmur CIN $660,000
Jordan Ta’amu DET $660,000
Anthony Gordon KC $660,000
Jake Browning MIN 660,000
Danny Etling MIN $660,000
Brian Lewerke NYG $660,000
Trace McSorley BAL $670,172

[DataUte]

Just Google ‘NFL minimum 2023’. Pretty easy. The answer will give you rookie, 2nd, and 3rd years without even clicking a link.

[The Miami Ute]

Yes, but what you fail to mention is that the amount being the minimum doesn’t necessarily mean that a player is going to see all of that money. Players who spend every week of the NFL year on the active 53-man roster will get their full allotment, but if a team cuts or puts a player on their practice squad, the amounts change drastically.

[Roy Rangum]

In some ways it’s a fair question (who wouldn’t be tempted by the money), in other ways this question feels like it’s a gateway to completely unsubstantiated attacks on Cam Risings intent with the football team.

None of us know, but if Cam came back just for NIL money without intending to play, that means he intentionally hobbled the program for his own personal benefit. Because cam was still here, it essentially made it so no other portal QB would come here, and, now Cam is taking reps in practice away from Johnson without intending to play? That would be downright dirty of Cam to do.

But that’s exactly why I don’t believe it. Cam has given his heart and body to this team multiple times over. I don’t see any way he comes back if he didn’t want to play. And honestly, as almost all these colleges guys do, I’m sure he still wants to play in the NFL, which means he needs to play this year and play well. I can understand his cautiousness because rushing back could lead to another injury.

But I personally see no way Cam came back just for NIL money. He came to play, and I’ll be grateful for when he gets back on the field.

[The Miami Ute]

None of us know, but if Cam came back just for NIL money without intending to play, that means he intentionally hobbled the program for his own personal benefit.

And that’s never happened in the history of sports? If Cam did that, it’s no different than a professional player using his player option to extend his contract. That’s happened a million times in all professional sports. How many times have you seen a professional team hobbled by a bad contract? However, somehow some people here feel it couldn’t happen in the college game.

[DataUte]

None of us probably know Cam well, but if anything in the last 2 years has shown us is that he wants to play. Could he physical, could be mental, but the way the team plays for him, he’s a captain, and on the leadership council, I can’t beleive he would intentionally go through the motions just to get paid NIL amd string everyone along. If he doesn’t play, he’s conceding he has no potential till pro future. He needs to show he still has value. He might just he a little cautious if he’s feeling weakness or has some misgivings about how he’s performing.

[The Miami Ute]

I’m not at all saying that Cam is going through the motions. I am saying that his injury, which effectively ended any prospect of an NFL career during the 2023 season, and the ability to get paid for another season via his NIL endorsements are a big reason as to why he’s back with Utah.

[Tednab]

Unless his agent got into the mix

[The Miami Ute]

Is that a fact or a rumor? Someone posted on here a couple of days ago that the reason why Cam hasn’t played yet is due to advice from his agent.

[DataUte]

I thought it was a joke

[The Miami Ute]

I asked the OP and he said it was second-hand information from inside the locker room. Take that for what it’s worth.

[Charlie]

Most likely Cam considered the possibility that he could still be working back during the fall. I expect he also saw the possibility he could come back early in the season. The decision was made with unknowns. Either way he was not going to the NFL over the summer. Next, I expect he very much wants to come back, coming back has all the upsides. However, last year when he worked his way back, the first game back didn’t go well, possibly was a week too early. Not hard to believe he understands it takes some time to be up to speed after being cleared by doctors. I think he is close but had PTSD from last years Oregon game so wants to be cleared then also he wants to be sharp. We know he has been in practice but we don’t know how sharp he has been. I don’t expect him to sit a minute when he feels he is sharp, until then, he has earned his NIL.

[Author]

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