Remember: CeeDee Lamb did not attend the Cowboys training camp in 2023 because he was waiting for Jerry Jones to open the vault. No panic. No outrage. Just business. A celebrity awaiting his bag. However, as stipulated by the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, he faced fines of $50,000 per day for each day missed. In 2025, Tennessee’s starting quarterback is going down the same path. However, he isn’t an expert. He is a sophomore in college.

Earlier in the NFL, missing practice indicated that you were injured or in trouble. Right now? It just means your direct deposit hasn’t hit yet. College football just got a sneak peek at the new normal in what seems to be the first real off-season holdout of the NIL era: multimillion-dollar leverage plays from kids with incomplete chemistry assignments.

This week, NFL insider Dov Kleiman caused a stir on the internet by reposting an ESPN report about Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava skipping spring practice because of his NIL deal. The post said it all: “Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava reportedly skipped Spring Practice over his NIL contract—he wants a new deal that pays him $4M per year.” In other words, the new quarterback economy in college football just moved from inflation to a full-blown explosion. With a side-eye, a quote tweet, and what essentially sounded like an open call for someone, anybody, to put the madness in check, Micah Parsons entered the fray. “College football a joke now! Y’all minds will make college into a semi-pro league! Actually, hold players accountable to the contracts they sign!” — Parsons wrote on X.

The Cowboys linebacker didn’t hold back. Undoubtedly, it was more than one kid missing a practice. It was about the principle. Parsons believes that the entire system has gone awry. There is no responsibility, no structure, and no true power to control the mayhem. Midway through the season, NIL deals are being revised. Transfer portals are being weaponized as leverage tools. And today, with the skill of NFL agents, players—some of whom are still teenagers—are negotiating multimillion-dollar contracts.

Need proof? Just look at Jaden Rashada. The former five-star QB originally committed to Miami with whispers of a massive NIL deal, only to flip to Florida after reportedly securing a jaw-dropping $13 million agreement with the Gator Collective. But when the money didn’t come through, Rashada backed out, requested a release, and decommitted—all before playing a single down. That’s not recruiting anymore—that’s free agency with a GPA requirement. Parsons, who played at Penn State just before the NIL era, saw this storm coming. But now that it’s here, even he can’t believe the size of the waves.

To understand why Parsons is so agitated, we have to recognize the deeper dysfunction at play. The NCAA can no longer enforce NIL rules because a federal order—brought by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia—legally blocked them. With those barriers down, any player can now receive offers of any amount from NIL collectives at any time. Players sign deals, cash checks, and, if they feel underpaid, skip practice without consequence.

These contracts? They’re rarely public, technically private, and often unenforceable. There’s no salary cap, no binding terms, and no penalty for walking away the moment a better deal appears at another school.

This isn’t college football anymore—it’s a Craigslist bidding war with marching bands. To veterans like Parsons, who built their careers on effort and loyalty, it doesn’t feel like empowerment. It feels like an auction house for five-star recruits. So when Micah Parsons sees a 19-year-old skipping practice to renegotiate a multi-million dollar deal, he doesn’t just raise an eyebrow—he sounds the alarm.

Micah Parsons is screaming ‘told you so’ while Tennessee drowns in NIL chaos

The player at the center of it all? Nico Iamaleava—the five-star quarterback who committed to Tennessee in 2022 with one of the most lucrative NIL deals ever reported. He signed a contract worth $8 million, including a $350,000 signing bonus and $2.2 million annually, according to The Athletic and On3. Iamaleava quickly became the face of the NIL era—not just for his talent but for the price tag.

In spring 2025, he allegedly requested a revised deal worth $4 million a year and is leveraging his absence from spring practice to push negotiations. ESPN’s Chris Low reported that Iamaleava has been a no-show this month, and talks are ongoing.

The move sent shockwaves through Knoxville. Indeed, Iamaleava is coming off a strong season—2,616 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, five interceptions, plus 358 rushing yards and three scores—and was the focal point of Tennessee’s 2025 offense. He’s not a backup looking for a payday—he’s QB1, the face of the program. Now, he’s also the face of an NIL holdout. No suspension. No public drama. Just a quiet standoff powered by money, leverage, and the looming transfer portal, which opens April 16.

As for the Iamaleava family, they’ve tried to downplay the drama. Nico’s father, Nic Iamaleava, fired back at On3 reporter Pete Nakos on social media, claiming the family never requested a new deal and calling the story misleading. “More games being played off the field than on the field,” he wrote. “Ask [Tennessee staff] what’s going on, ‘cuz it ain’t from us.” But while the denials continue, so do the facts: Iamaleava skipped practice. The reports haven’t been corrected. The standoff is real.

Now the Vols face a tough choice: pay up and risk setting a precedent, or hold firm and risk losing their star quarterback to a higher bidder. That’s the new reality. Players like Darian Mensah (Duke) and Carson Beck (Miami) have reportedly signed $4 million annual deals, so Iamaleava’s request isn’t outrageous. It’s market value. He’s just the first to push hard enough to make it public.

This isn’t just about one quarterback. In fact, it’s about every elite recruit watching from the sidelines, taking notes, and realizing that leverage doesn’t have to wait for the NFL. If Iamaleava wins, it won’t just reshape Tennessee’s 2025 season—it’ll rewrite the NIL playbook.

Micah Parsons sees it. Coaches see it. Collectives see it. And soon, fans will, too.