The Baltimore Ravens waived rookie quarterback Diego Pavia on Thursday, cutting the Heisman Trophy runner-up loose before he ever suited up for training camp. The move, confirmed by the team, clears a roster spot for veteran center Ethan Pocic.
Pavia’s exit was fast. He didn’t get stuffed at the bottom of a depth chart over months of practice reps — he got squeezed out by a roster-math decision one day before rookies were due to report. According to the Ravens’ own site, Baltimore had narrowed its competition for the No. 3 quarterback job to veteran Skylar Thompson and fellow undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano out of Connecticut, leaving Pavia the odd man out behind two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley.
How Pavia Got Here
Pavia went undrafted in April despite finishing as the runner-up for the 2025 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first Heisman finalist to go unpicked through all seven rounds since Northern Illinois’ Jordan Lynch in 2014, according to Heavy.com. The Ravens moved quickly anyway, signing him to a three-year undrafted free-agent deal, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, per NFL.com.
That contract never came with the security his college resume might have suggested. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported Pavia received no signing bonus and no guaranteed money, with his rookie-season earnings projected between $885,000 and $1,005,000 under standard NFL rookie pay rules, according to Yahoo Sports. It was, as that report put it, a prove-it deal from the jump.
He didn’t get the chance to prove much of anything in pads. Baltimore’s decision came down to numbers on a roster sheet, not tape from live snaps — the team simply had too many arms in the quarterback room once Pocic’s signing forced a corresponding move.
What Pavia Brought to Vanderbilt
The résumé that made Pavia a name in the first place is real. He led Vanderbilt to a 10-3 record and the program’s first-ever 10-win season, throwing for 3,539 yards with a 70.6 percent completion rate and a 29-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio, while adding 862 rushing yards and 10 more scores on the ground, per NFL.com. That dual-threat production earned him SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top quarterback.
Measured at 5-foot-9 7/8 at the Senior Bowl, Pavia’s size was the recurring question mark scouts brought up throughout the pre-draft process, per On3.
| Category | 2025 Season (Vanderbilt) |
|---|---|
| Completion % | 70.6% |
| Passing Yards | 3,539 |
| Passing TDs | 29 |
| Interceptions | 8 |
| Rushing Yards | 862 |
| Rushing TDs | 10 |
Where He Could Land Next
Pavia isn’t without options. Carolina hosted him for a top-30 pre-draft visit back in April as a potential developmental piece behind Bryce Young, according to a report from Bettors Insider, which means another NFL opportunity isn’t out of the question if a team likes what it saw on Vanderbilt tape.
The more immediate reaction came from outside the league entirely. Hours after Baltimore’s announcement, the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions reposted commentary about Pavia’s next move and added a string of eyes emoji — a not-so-subtle signal they’re watching, according to Pro Football Network. It wasn’t the first time the Stallions had made that gesture; the team did the same thing back in January when Pavia’s draft outlook was still murky, per Larry Brown Sports.
Pavia also has a path in the Canadian Football League if the American routes dry up. His rights currently sit with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on the CFL’s negotiation list, meaning any CFL move would have to run through Winnipeg first, Yahoo Sports reported.
Why This Isn’t Necessarily the End
None of this means Pavia’s football career is over — undrafted quarterbacks get released and re-signed elsewhere constantly during camp roster shuffles, and his college production is the kind teams remember when injuries pile up in September. But it does mean the clock is now running. Training camps around the league are filling out 90-man rosters this week, and every day Pavia spends unsigned is a day further from live reps anywhere.
The UFL angle is worth taking seriously beyond the emoji. The spring league has become a legitimate landing spot for players who don’t stick on NFL rosters but still want meaningful game tape, and a name as recognizable as Pavia’s would be a genuine marketing get for a franchise like Birmingham.
