Former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia finally found some redemption for his draft snub. But the ink is barely dry on his deal with the Baltimore Ravens, and fans are already branding him with a label no young QB wants.

Per NFL Operations, Pavia’s deal with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent is projected to be between $885,000 and $1,005,000, a remarkable decrease from his college earnings. His final season with the Vanderbilt Commodores saw him earn about $2.5 million in NIL money, as he is set to kick off his NFL career with a loss.

Nevertheless, this was no reason for fans to commiserate with him, as his behavioral issues seemed to have left them with no compassion for him. Following news of his reduced pay, the very first fan hopped into the comment section and called him “The next Johnny Manziel.”

Pavia doesn’t only have a similar height disadvantage to Manziel, but also the kind of character flaws that led to Manziel ultimately being kicked out of the NFL. The former Texas A&M quarterback became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy after a season where he threw for 3,000 yards and rushed for 1,000 yards. He finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting the following season before entering the NFL Draft to join the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd overall pick in 2014.

However, he faced off-field controversies as staggering as his talent. And while many expected him to continue his college momentum, he was cut from the Browns before his third season. Ironically, Pavia has openly expressed his admiration for Manziel, calling him his mentor and favorite player.

In his post-football career, Manziel has been helping college quarterbacks learn from his mistakes. Pavia isn’t the only QB he has connected with. Even Aggies’ Marcel Reed has been in touch with the former Heisman winner.

And regardless of the criticism he gets, Pavia has never been shy about his chip-on-the-shoulder mentality. Instead of becoming more cautious after his Heisman social media rant, which he apologized for, he has continued to give excuses for his controversies.

“That’s how I carry myself. I think people get caught up in my confidence for arrogance. But my confidence comes from my preparation of work that I put in in the offseason, the week of, just things like that. That’s what boosts me to have that extra edge on Saturday,” added the QB.

Even as he moves to the NFL, Pavia remains confident about his qualities. But more than his efforts on the field, he has a bigger task of winning the fans over with better actions off the field.

Mixed reactions to the Pavia news

Before the NFL draft, Pavia grabbed headlines after telling Jon Gruden that he never had an agent in college because he would rather not pay 5-10% of his earnings in agent fees. However, some fans misunderstood that as Pavia saying that he doesn’t have an agent representing him for the draft.

Malki Kawa said that he is representing Pavia. Regardless, the words followed the former Vandy QB after the draft snub.

“He should have gotten an agent. His attitude is his biggest hindrance aside from his size. He needs to check his ego in the locker room, or he won’t last three years with them. He’s truly his own worst enemy,” one fan highlighted.

Another fan found fault with the NIL system instead, blaming the cost of NIL deals for the situation. “Just shows you how overinflated these college NIL deals are,” the fans aid.

Truly, recent years have seen college football programs forcefully adjust to the escalation of NIL deals, moving from what they used to be to multi-million-dollar packages to attract elite talent. Pavia might have benefited from it in the past, but he is now running at a loss after his unfortunate draft snub.

A rather objective fan quipped, “Unless you are a blue-chip prospect, character matters. No team wants their third-string QB to be a distraction.”

That is perhaps the best assessment of the Pavia situation. An NFL team would have taken a punt on him had he been on the top of their draft board. In the past, teams have ignored worse character issues than anything Pavia ever did. But that privilege sadly comes when you’re an elite prospect.

Lastly, one fan buttressed the point of the last, claiming Pavia is not so much of an exceptional talent to be that controversial.

“He best be glad he’s given the opportunity to play in the NFL he needs to humble himself because he’s not all that. He needs to check his attitude,” the fan said.