Pro Ducks: Oregon Players Make Big Impact, Cash Big Paychecks in the NFL

Tonight the NFL exhibition season opens with the Chicago Bears facing the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame game from Canton, Ohio. Around the league, players from the University of Oregon are making a name for themselves while pulling down big money.

Just last week on July 25th, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert signed a lucrative contract extension that will pay him $262.5 million over the next five years. It's the league's second richest behind Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow at $275 million.

As Herbert enters his 5th season things are looking up in Los Angeles. The team has a new head coach in Jim Harbaugh, fresh off a national championship at Michigan, and already the former Chargers player has instilled a new toughness in the Bolts approach to football.

Slot receiver Ladd McConkey is rapidly emerging as an effective new number one target for Herbert.

Herbert added 10-15 pounds of muscle in his off-season workouts, and the growing enthusiasm in camp seems infectious. Tight end Hayden Hurst told the media, speaking of his new team and quarterback, "He's just a professional. When we're walking around here, he's just one of the guys but when he steps out on that field, the competitor comes out and he's one of the elite guys in this league."

"He just loves the game, you can tell. And that's infectious in the huddle. He wants success, he wants his guys to have success. He wants us to catch the ball and just make plays."

In Detroit, 2019 Outland Trophy winner at Oregon Penei Sewell begins his fourth season with the Lions, still only 23 years old. The Utah native was a first team All-Pro in 2023. In April he signed a deal worth $112 million over four years.

The Lions won the NFC North last season with a 12-5 record. They open preseason play next Thursday with a game against the New York Giants in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Stories at Sports Illustrated and Mile High Sports suggest that Bo Nix is closing in on earning the starting job in his first season as quarterback with the Denver Broncos, ironically beating out the QB that succeeded him at Auburn, Jarrett Stidham, plus former New York Jet and BYU Cougar Zach Wilson.

Nix's mobility and charisma are key parts of his edge over the two NFL retreads. Veteran offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey said, "I think he’s going to do great things for us."

McGlinchey continued, “I think it’s certainly his maturity is something that everybody’s speaking to. He’s learned fast on the job and he’s a very competitive dude. He takes a lot of pride in not screwing things up or if he does once, he’s not going to do it again. He takes the small details such as like the cadence. It’s tough when he’s always coming up asking me and asking the rest of us, ‘How can I do this better,’ or ‘How can I do that better?’ Bo has been an impressive person in our locker room, [not only] as a player—I think he’s picking things up incredibly fast and doing a great job—but as a competitor and as a teammate, he’s done a great job too. I think Bo is on the right track. I think he’s going to take the coaching that he’s going to get."

Starting as a rookie quarterback for a rebuilding team is a tough road. The Broncos were 8-9 last season, missing the playoffs. This year they open with Seattle on the road, then host departed quarterback Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 15th.

Other Duck standouts and their NFL deals:

Deommodore Lenior 49ers: 4-year, $3.7 million $284,872 signing bonus

Jevon Holland Dolphins: 4-year, $8.7 million, $3,699,208 signing bonus, $6,207,809 guaranteed

Bucky Irving Bucs: 4-year, $4.8 million, $731,552 signing bonus, $731,552 guaranteed

Jackson Powers-Johnson Raiders: 4-year , $8,767,762 contract, including $3,196,552 signing bonus, $6,777,157 guaranteed