The buzz around Jeremiah Fears has not subsided since the 2025 NBA Draft. Selected No. 7 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans, Fears has entered the league with high expectations after a standout season for Oklahoma, averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, besides being named to the SEC All-Freshman team. At just 18 years old, Fears has already signed a lucrative rookie contract, besides locking in a shoe deal with Adidas. With a belief of “Three Stripes have been doing something special for a while now,” expect the rookie to aim to translate this opportunity into something big in the future.
The Pelicans are betting big on the young guard from Joliet, Illinois. His Summer League run revealed the steep learning curve ahead, highlighted by 22 and 2 points in two games, even if they were for a losing cause. The 6’4″ player is expected to play for the New Orleans Pelicans if everything goes smoothly, but do you know how much he is earning from this deal?
What is Jeremiah Fears’ rookie contract with the Pelicans?
The New Orleans Pelicans have officially welcomed Jeremiah Fears to their roster with a 4-year, $34.1 million rookie deal. Signed under the NBA’s rookie scale exception, the contract includes $15.4 million guaranteed at signing—proof that the team sees real potential in the young guard. Set to earn an average of $8.5 million per year, Fears will be with the Pelicans through the 2028-29 season, when he’ll hit free agency for the first time.
By the final year of his deal in 2028-29, Fears is set to make over $10.5 million before taxes in his final year of the contract, a number that reflects just how valuable the Pelicans expect him to become. The pressure and the spotlight will only grow as the seasons go on, but so will the opportunities. Can Jeremiah Fears turn this investment into a long-term future in New Orleans?
What are the year-wise salary and cap hit figures for Fears’ rookie deal?
While most of the contract is not yet fully paid out, the guaranteed part, combined with his commercial opportunities, puts him among the highest-earning rookies of the 2025 class.
Season
Age
Base Salary
Cap Hit
2025-26
19
$7,520,040
$7,520,040
2026-27
20
$7,896,240
$7,896,240
2027-28
21
$8,271,960
$8,271,960
2028-29
22
$10,505,389
$10,505,389
The money guaranteed in this deal runs through the first two years, totaling $15,416,280. The final two years are club options, which give the Pelicans full control over the trajectory of the deal.
Are there any clauses, options, or trade restrictions in the contract?
Fears’ rookie-scale contract follows the standard format for first-round picks. However, there are a few important aspects that matter in his case. He has the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons as club options. Which means that the Pelicans must decide by October 31, 2026, and October 31, 2027, whether they wish to retain him for each of those years. These decision deadlines are crucial, as they serve as checkpoints for Fears’ development. If the team feels he isn’t showing enough progress or fitting into the team’s long-term plans. The team could decline the option and allow him to hit free agency earlier.
Oklahoma Sooners guard Jeremiah Fears (0) during a men’s college Bedlam basketball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. Oklahoma won 80-65.
Moreover, Fears cannot be traded until August 4, 2025, due to a trade restriction triggered by the timing and terms of his signing. This gives New Orleans a fixed window to evaluate his role on the team without any immediate outside interest disrupting that process. While it’s a standard rookie deal on paper, the context matters. The New Orleans Pelicans are battling through injuries and are in the midst of a retooling phase, and that raises the stakes. Fears isn’t being brought along slowly; he’ll be expected to contribute early and prove he belongs. Because the team may need him to play real minutes sooner than most rookies would.
On draft night, Stephen A. Smith dropped a Kyrie Irving comparison. Now the league waits to see whether Fears will live up to it or not. Jeremiah Fears has the bag, the boldness, and the backing of a franchise ready to build something new. He’s the only lottery pick from the 2025 class who played every Summer League game. The Pelicans have time, structure, and a roster that should support his development. Now it’s about turning flashes into consistency.
The post What Is Jeremiah Fears’s Net Worth in 2025? Salary, Contract & More Revealed appeared first on EssentiallySports.