Some interesting news regarding Tampa Bay Buccaneers undrafted free agent rookie Jack Pyburn came out on Wednesday night after he filed a lawsuit that would allow him to re-enter the college ranks if it were to pass.

The Buccaneers edge rusher’s decision comes on the heels of a recent ruling by a Colorado judge stating that any player from the recruiting class of 2022, who played all four years, is granted a fifth year of eligibility. If certain graduates are on NFL rosters, they have the chance to leave and go back to college football.

It’s created quite the conversation, and Pyburn is smack dab in the middle of it after filing his lawsuit. There’s still a long way to go in all of this, but let’s go ahead and break it down and figure out what exactly Jack Pyburn stands to win and lose in this situation.

The money factor is the first thing to consider

The biggest question surrounds money, especially with the NFL and NIL landscape these days. If Jack Pyburn were to leave the Buccaneers and go back to college, how big of an NIL deal could he actually strike?

He finished his college career with just three sacks. That’s not really a number that’s going to garner a lot of NIL interest, in my opinion. And I’m just going to be real: he wasn’t a big name coming out of college. I had never heard of him when the Buccaneers picked him up back in April.

Regardless, NIL deals are all about name, image, and likeness. If you don’t have a big name, odds are you’re probably not going to get a big deal.

Right now, Jack Pyburn was guaranteed $115,000 that the Buccaneers have to pay him, so he’s already made that much money. If he ends up making the 53-man roster and sticks on it for all 18 weeks, he earns $885,000 in base salary. That’s because he signed a 3-year, $3,115,000 contract with the Bucs, with $115,000 guaranteed that includes a $15,000 signing bonus. So really, if Pyburn makes the roster and stays on it for all 18 weeks, he’ll make right around $1 million in 2026, alone.

Would an NIL deal surpass that? I don’t think so. I really don’t. I don’t think there’s going to be anybody out there willing to pay Pyburn $1 million to play at whatever college. The ruling also states players are allowed to transfer, but at this point in time, a lot of college teams are well into fall camp, are practicing, and have their rosters figured out. For more of a depth guy, I’m not sure a school, or anyone, would be willing to pay that much for that kind of player.

What happens if Pyburn gets cut?

Let’s look at it from the other side. If he gets cut, there’s a chance he ends up on the Buccaneers’ practice squad, another team’s practice squad, or even gets signed to another team’s 53-man roster. All of those things are possible, especially if he continues to play well in the preseason.

If he were to land on a practice squad, he’s slated to make around $247,000 to $248,000 if he sticks for all 18 weeks. On top of the $115,000 already guaranteed, that’s over $360,000 in year one on a practice squad. Would he be able to get an NIL deal to match that? That remains to be seen, but I doubt he’d even receive that much.

So it’s obvious that Pyburn, if he does go back to college, is risking a significant amount of money he can make in 2026. Sure, he’s already got the $115,000 in tow. That’s great. But if I’m the Buccaneers, I’m coming after that money. I want a refund, because he is doing all of this on his own will. Nobody’s forcing him to file the lawsuit. Nobody’s forcing him to want to go back to college.

If I’m the Bucs, I want my money back because he hasn’t played any real football, nor has made any concrete contributions to the team at this point in time. 

Upping Jack Pyburn’s draft stock is the real play

So, with all that being said, I think the biggest factor why Jack Pyburn would go back to college is to simply up his draft stock in 2027. He had a telling comment when he spoke with Buccaneers reporters on Monday about how he just feels like he didn’t work hard enough in college. Sure, he did the extra things, but in his words, he didn’t dedicate his life to the game. You can get the sense that he feels like it held him back in terms of his draft status.

Let’s say Pyburn comes in, has a huge year, and since he was undrafted, let’s just say he ends up being a fourth-round pick. I don’t think anybody’s ever going to go from undrafted one year to a first-round pick the next unless they put together some kind of insane, historical season that college football has never seen before.

Regardless, if he can up his stock to a fourth-round pick or even a later Day 3 selection, that gives him a better contract and a more likely chance to make a roster.

Think of it this way, too. Jack Pyburn is shoved down the Buccaneers’ depth chart right now. He’s probably EDGE7 at best. Upping his draft stock would change the outlook of his immediate NFL career and would give him a much better chance of making a roster, therefore making more money, and therefore staying in the NFL longer.

If Pyburn goes back to college, it’s going to be a big risk. There’s no way of dancing around that, and he’d be betting on himself. But according to what he said on Monday, that’s the route he would prefer to go these days, especially after the hindsight he’s gained since leaving college.

The win is simple: better draft stock and maybe some NIL money. However, the loss is even easier to see: potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.