“One more year, one more year!”  If you’ve been around college hoops long enough, you know that chant hits differently. It’s the universal plea every fan yells during the last home game when their favorite star still has eligibility left. And that chant echoed loud and proud at Pete Maravich Assembly Center, where—by the way—Flau’Jae Johnson led the win. Since then, the atmosphere in Baton Rouge has been tense. Real nervous.

You know, Aneesah Morrow is going pro. Sa’Myah Smith and Last-Tear Poa hit the transfer portal. Tigers fans were on the edge, praying this wasn’t a full-on exodus. No one wanted a Notre Dame 2.0 situation. And just when it felt like the sky might fall, Johnson dropped the best news they could’ve hoped for: she’s staying. Yes, Big 4 is coming back for her senior season at LSU.

Remember after LSU’s heartbreaking 72–65 loss to UCLA in the Elite Eight? Johnson was still unsure of what was next. “I don’t know,” she said. “Got to talk to Coach Mulkey, talk to my family. I don’t know.” Well, now she knows—and so do we. She’s not entering the WNBA Draft. She’s not packing her bags. She’s not done with college hoops just yet.

And if you’re a senior or turning 22 in the same year, you can go pro. Johnson fits the category and had teased as early as November about declaring. “If you don’t know, I am eligible for the [WNBA] Draft this year. So I’m kind of just letting God guide me,” she had said. And with LSU’s season ending on Sunday, she had until Tuesday at midnight to let the league know. That clock ticked down… and she chose purple and gold.

Now, why’d she stay? Well, let’s break it down.

In case you’re wondering how she was eligible as a junior—it’s because the Tigers star turns 22 in November. First off, there’s the money. WNBA rookie salaries are expected to jump in 2026 thanks to the new CBA. A 2025 rookie is around $78,000. But a year later, we could be talking six figures. Waiting just might pay off—literally.

Second, she’s got time to level up physically. Big 4 is already a beast—athletic, explosive, crazy skilled—but adding a little more strength could be the final piece before she takes over at the next level. And then there’s unfinished business. She was a freshman when LSU won it all in 2023. That team wasn’t “hers.” Now, she wants her ring. Her legacy. Her squad’s title run.

But the biggest reason everyone agrees on? Yes, it’s NIL. We know that this woman is a brand. Baller. Rapper. Businesswoman. Her NIL value is sitting at $1.5M, per On3. That’s more than what several WNBA players earn. And fans didn’t miss that.

Flau’Jae Johnson stayed for the bag?

“She’ll make more money with NIL in one year than a decade in the WNBA,” one user claimed. And that could be a bit of an exaggeration. But ever since the Supreme Court flipped the script on college sports with that NIL ruling, the money in the game has been crazy. 

Athletes are now cashing checks through endorsement deals, brand partnerships, business ventures—you name it. And Flau’Jae Johnson is doing all that and some. We’re talking Powerade, Amazon, Doritos, Tinder, TurboTax, JBL, and like a dozen more. She’s got deals with everyone from Raising Cane’s to Apple Cash. 

Meanwhile, a top W rookie makes around $78K in their first year. Let that sink in, what a college baller can now make in a semester, pros might not hit in a season. Another fan broke it down in even simpler terms, “Stay in college, get the bag. It’s simple math. Johnson not just chasing checks either, she’s building a brand.

She’s said it herself: she looks up to LeBron James as he is “the ultimate businessman.” And like him, she’s trying to make her money work for more than just herself. Back in December, Forbes slapped her name on the 30 Under 30 list with a $7 million net worth tag. Oh, and she became the second college athlete ever to lock in an NIL deal with equity through Unrivaled. That’s next-level business mind.

“I make more than most WNBA players,” a third wrote. They basically meant, Big 4 must be thinking that and where’s the lie? The baller-cum-rapper knows her worth. “Between my music career and brand endorsements, my deals amount to about $4.5 million, which gives a substantial indication of my market value,” she said last year. Also, she admitted that she continues to learn the money game from CEOs, binging business YouTube vids.

Another fan chimed in, “Smart.. cuz she ain’t gon make that NIL money in the WNBA. I think all women athletes should milk it as long as possible.” Fair point. The WNBA’s average salary is around $150K. Compare that to the $10 million average in the NBA, and yes, the talks about women athletes earning less than their male counterparts have been at the forefront since forever. So staying in college and cashing in while the offers are hot makes all the sense.

Then there was the fan who went, “This 2025 draft class just got weaker, but 2026? Lord that m-er gone be deep.” And it’s true. While 2025’s still got some heavy hitters like Paige Bueckers and Morrow, next year’s class is looking loaded. Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Cotie McMahon, Olivia Miles, Ta’Niya Latson, Serah Williams. It’s going to be wild. And with the W expanding with Toronto Tempo, Portland, and Golden State Valkyries, there’ll be more roster spots but also way more competition.

So whether we’re talking about Flau’Jae Johnson’s pick in the draft or how high she’ll go, that’s something we’ll have to wait and see. Because one season can change everything. But it’s sure that she’s gonna make more money before she turns pro than most WNBA stars, and now the real question is: can she snag a title on the way out?