Trinidad Chambliss Projected to Earn More Than LeBron James Next Season

LeBron James took over every headline in the sports world on Friday with the announcement that he's signing with the Philadelphia 76ers after a lengthy decision-making process during NBA free agency.

James is set to sign a two-year, $8 million deal with the 76ers ahead of his 24th year in the league.

Strangely enough, James' team-friendly contract is projected to earn him less money next season than Ole Miss star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, along with many other high-level college football players.

Comparing Trinidad Chambliss' NIL Valuation to LeBron James' New Contract

Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to On3's NIL valuation, Chambliss is projected to make around $5 million next season, among the highest in all of college sports.

On the other hand, James is set to make $4 million on his new contract with the Sixers.

Other notable college football players projected to earn more than James include Miami quarterback Darian Mensah ($6.5 million), Oregon quarterback Dante Moore ($5 million), Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith ($5 million) and LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt ($4.5 million).

Of course, all of this is only counting James' NBA contract with the Sixers. When factoring in his countless number of endorsement deals and business ventures, his earnings next season beat Chambliss by a landslide. James still has all of them beat with an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion, which just might be more than the entire NIL budgets of all the teams in the SEC across all sports combined.

Still, it's crazy that we live in a world where arguably the greatest basketball player of all time could be making less on his contract than a college football player, particularly in Chambliss' case. He was playing Division II football two years ago and didn't even begin last season as the starting quarterback in Oxford.

Now, there's a chance he could one day tell his kids that he earned more contract money than LeBron James in a calendar year.

Chambliss will need to prove once again next season why he's deserving of such handsome NIL earnings by leading Ole Miss back to the College Football Playoff and beyond.

Last season, Chambliss went 294 of 445 passing for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions along with 133 carries for 527 yards and eight more scores on the ground.

Now set to begin the year as the no-doubt starter this time around, expect those numbers to look even better by the season's end.

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