Dante Moore: NIL 'wasn't a factor' in returning to Oregon for 2026

With the roster that Dan Lanning has been building in Eugene over the past few years, there were expectations that the Oregon Ducks would be able to compete for a national championship in the 2026 season.

Those expectations went through the roof once quarterback Dante Moore announced his return for one more year last month.

As the projected No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, Moore could have made a projected $52.4 million guaranteed had he entered the draft, but instead, he chose to come back to Oregon for one more year and develop. With this being the case, many fans then wondered: How much were the Ducks paying Moore to return?

Over the weekend, Moore admitted that NIL wasn't a factor in his decision.

“No, [NIL] wasn’t a factor at all,” Moore said via On3 . “I mean, you have $55 million guaranteed in the NFL as the second pick overall. Money doesn’t play a factor with me. I mean, if it was money, I would’ve been in the NFL by now. More of it was just getting my talent as best as possible.”

The idea of growth and development isn't foreign to Moore, who started as a true freshman with the UCLA Bruins and then made the calculated decision to sit for a year behind Dillon Gabriel at Oregon, working to improve in the shadows. This decision worked well for Moore, who was one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football last season and is a projected Heisman Trophy favorite in 2026.

While it's easy to say from the outside looking in that staying in college for one more year is the proper decision, it's another thing to actually pass up on that money, with the risk of injury always present, and put your money where your mouth is, especially considering that the QB class in the 2027 draft is projected to be much stronger than this year.

“It was a tough decision to make,” Moore said. “A lot of prayer and thought into it. Reached out to many people, just to hear their thoughts. But just felt like, at the end of the day, I just felt like I could prepare myself way more until I take that next step into the NFL. Of course, that’s the highest level of football to play."

Now, with another season in Eugene, Moore's Ducks are expected to be in the mix at the end of the season once again, a year after making it to the College Football Playoffs, where they lost to the eventual national championship-winning Indiana Hoosiers. Some media outlets have Oregon as the No. 1 team in the nation going into 2026, while others have them closer to No. 5. Either way, it's clear that with Moore back for more, the Ducks should be in the mix.

All of this played a role in Moore's decision to run it back.

“But overall, there’s a lot of things that coming back helps me out doing," Moore said. "Just getting more prepared. Being able to chase that national championship as a team and getting closer and closer every year. A lot of it was more just preparation. Making sure I’m as prepared as possible before I take my next step.”

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks QB Dante Moore downplays NIL's role in 2026 return