Diego Pavia’s search for another NFL opportunity hit another hurdle on Friday. Despite an incredible season at Vanderbilt, the rookie quarterback got waived by the Baltimore Ravens mere days ahead of training camp. Now, he’s on the open market once again, only to hear more bad news.

“Waived by #Ravens, former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia unclaimed off waivers,” NFL Insider Aaron Wilson reported the news through his X account. 

NFL evaluators bypassed Pavia in the 2026 NFL Draft, even after he led his college to its first ten-win season. But later on, the Ravens gave him a call and put him in the quarterback room. However, the team needed to finalize its roster maneuvering and opted to let the undrafted rookie go to make some room for the veteran center, Ethan Pocic. With none of the remaining 31 teams giving him an opportunity, Pavia has faced yet another hurdle.

Navigating the NFL transaction wire can be ruthless for unproven rookies. When a team waives a player with limited accrued seasons, the other 31 franchises have about 24 hours to claim his existing contract. Pavia held a three-year contract worth $3.1 million with the Ravens. But that’s void now. After all, the deal didn’t include any bonuses or guaranteed money in favor of the rookie.

If no team submits a claim by the deadline, the player ‘clears waivers’ and immediately becomes an unrestricted free agent who can freely negotiate a new deal with any franchise.

Despite this early professional setback, Pavia boasts an undeniably loaded collegiate résumé. He took home the SEC Offensive Player of the Year honor in 2025, won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and even came second in the race for the Heisman Trophy. But the NFL scouts and evaluators seemed to have different concerns. 

They harbored questions regarding his height and overall arm talent. He measures 5’10”, which is slightly small in terms of NFL standards. On top of that, he had a couple of controversies associated with his name ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. 

“Diego Pavia’s actions after the Heisman ceremony and allegedly before the NFL Draft hurt his draft stock more than his height,” Robert Griffin III weighed in on Pavia’s off-field controversies on the Outta Pocket with RGIII podcast. 

In the end, he remained an undrafted free agent as the league transitioned into the 2026 season. While going unclaimed on waivers is a difficult pill to swallow, Pavia has built his entire football career on proving his doubters wrong. 

But the quarterback picture keeps changing in the NFL. And with training camps underway, Pavia will have to convince another franchise that his collegiate success can still translate on the NFL field.