Kamario Taylor is staying in Starkville, and Mississippi State is paying a massive price to make sure it happens.
According to On3Sports, the Bulldogs quarterback is set to finalize a new deal that will bring him back to Mississippi State in 2027 and put him among the sport’s most highly compensated players. Per On3’s Chris Low and Pete Nakos, Taylor’s new agreement is worth $7.5 million per year, with incentives that could push it to as much as $9 million.
Taylor will return as a junior in 2027 after a 2026 season that flashed star power before a turf toe injury ended it early. He suffered the injury in September and later underwent season-ending surgery in late October.
The timing makes the deal even more notable. Taylor had already turned heads with an electric start to the year, helping Mississippi State race to a 4-0 start and drawing early Heisman buzz along the way.
Through that stretch, he threw for 1,192 yards with 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions as the Bulldogs knocked off Louisiana-Monroe, Minnesota on the road, South Carolina and then-No. 19 Missouri.
After the win over Missouri, a 31-24 result, Mississippi State climbed to No. 16 in the country before its matchup with Alabama. Taylor was also being discussed as a dark horse Heisman candidate at that point.
But the injury that surfaced in that Missouri game changed everything. Taylor did not leave the contest, yet he was clearly limited the following week in a 56-23 loss to Alabama. He was sacked five times, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble early before being pulled in the fourth quarter and not returning.
He missed the next game on Oct. 17 at LSU and then tried to go again the following week in a 23-14 loss to Oklahoma, but backup Billy Parker Puckett replaced him. On Oct. 27, Mississippi State announced Taylor would have season-ending surgery on his toe injury.
ESPN reported that Taylor pushed hard to keep playing after the injury, but getting healthy enough to be effective mattered more than simply staying on the field.
"Nobody wants to be on that field more than Kamario," Bulldog head coach Jeff Lebby said via ESPN. "I know how much this team means to him, and how much he means to this team. We’ll be right there with him throughout his recovery.
"He’s the ultimate teammate and competitor. ... You see it in the work he’s put in and the way our players and coaches believe in him the way they do."
Since Taylor went down against Missouri, Mississippi State has dropped five straight. That slide only added to the uncertainty around his future, especially after the strong start he put together. Taylor, a Macon, Mississippi native, grew up a lifelong Bulldogs fan, but his breakout season also prompted speculation that he might test the portal and play elsewhere.
Instead, Mississippi State appears to have locked him in with a deal that keeps its star quarterback in place and gives him a huge payday.
Taylor’s numbers across his Mississippi State career show just how quickly he’s risen. In 2025, he completed 55.8% of his passes for 629 yards, five touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for 458 yards and eight scores. In 2026, before the injury cut things short, he was at 65.4% passing with 1,460 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions, plus 147 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
The reported figure would also place Taylor among the biggest NIL earners in the sport this season. While his new deal hasn’t been publicly stacked up against other 2027 returners, it would even top Miami quarterback Darian Mensah based on this year’s reported valuations.
For Mississippi State, the message is clear: Taylor is the centerpiece, and the Bulldogs are betting big that he can lead them to a winning season in Starkville for the first time under Jeff Lebby.
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