FARGO — The NFL Draft is done, the introductory press conferences are finished and now it’s time to get down to business for former North Dakota State players Grey Zabel and Cam Miller. The dotted lines were filled pretty well.
The Seattle Seahawks announced Monday night Zabel, a Bison left tackle who will be moved to guard, was signed and sealed with a four-year deal for a reported $18.5 million over four years, all guaranteed. Per NFL slotted standards for draft picks, Zabel originally was pegged to sign for $16.6 million over four years, so the latest deal is an uptick from the projected sum.
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Miller is signed with the Las Vegas Raiders through 2029 with a first-year base of $883,570, ironically the same as former Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellot.
The Raiders drafted Mellott and Miller two picks apart in the sixth round. Miller’s four-year contract is worth $4.4 million with $174,000 guaranteed. Mellott was drafted as a wide receiver.
Miller will be one of four quarterbacks in the Raiders’ training camp, with veteran Geno Smith slotted as the starter along with backups Carter Bradley and Aidan O’Connell. Bradley, who played at South Alabama, is the son of former Bison player and assistant coach and current San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Gus Bradley.
Carter Bradley was signed as a free agent in 2024, released during training camp but later signed with the Raiders’ practice squad last season. He was promoted to the team’s active roster in December. He did not attempt a pass.
Miller joins a franchise that has the backing of former NFL quarterback and current Fox analyst Tom Brady. The Athletic, in a story on Brady’s influence on the team’s quarterback position, quoted Raiders general manager John Spytek on Brady’s opinion of Miller: “He liked the way he threw it, his technique, throwing from the ground up and his motion,” Spytek told The Athletic. “And he thought he had the potential to improve.”
Former Bison offensive lineman Mason Miller reportedly signed a three-year, $2.98 million contract with the Detroit Lions in a free agent deal. That includes a $10,000 signing bonus and $30,000 guaranteed.
It’s a similar contract that two other Bison free agents signed with their respective teams. Defensive tackle Eli Mostaert and linebacker Nick Kubitz each signed for $2.97 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons respectively, according to Spotrac.com .
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[ Jeff Kolpack](https://www.inforum.com/Jeff Kolpack)
By [Jeff Kolpack](https://www.inforum.com/Jeff Kolpack)
Jeff would like to dispel the notion he was around when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, but he is on his third decade of reporting with Forum Communications. The son of a reporter and an English teacher, and the brother of a reporter, Jeff has worked at the Jamestown Sun, Bismarck Tribune and since 1990 The Forum, where he's covered North Dakota State athletics since 1995.
Jeff has covered all nine of NDSU's Division I FCS national football titles and has written three books: "Horns Up," "North Dakota Tough" and "Covid Kids." He is the radio host of "The Golf Show with Jeff Kolpack" April through August.