NFL training camps begin for about half of the league’s rookies this week. But 30 of the 32 players selected in the second round of April’s draft have yet to sign contracts, setting up a standoff as the season approaches.
The ongoing negotiations center on guaranteed money. The two signed second-rounders, Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins and Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger, became the first rookies outside of the first round to land fully guaranteed deals.
Even if Higgins never plays an NFL snap, he’s set to receive the full $11.7 million promised by his contract.
The rest of the second-round class — including Commanders cornerback Trey Amos — want similar guarantees.
“We work alongside the players and their agents to help them secure the best deal possible, while acknowledging that our members can organize as they see fit for the collective benefit of their financial futures,” a spokesperson from the players association said Wednesday. “Our union is monitoring this situation closely in carrying out our duty to enforce the CBA and its expressed guidelines for management.”
The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement with players has taken most of the intrigue out of rookie deals. After No. 1 pick Sam Bradford signed the St. Louis Rams’ record-breaking, six-year, $78 million deal with $50 million guaranteed in 2010, the NFL pushed for a rookie wage scale in the 2011 agreement between players and owners.
For 14 years, the salary for drafted rookies has been predetermined by their draft slot. Incoming players, except for those who are not drafted, are unable to negotiate the salary or length of their contract.
Instead, draft picks negotiate their guarantees and payout structure. In 2016, 20 of 32 first-rounders signed guaranteed deals. By 2024, every first-round pick was fetching guaranteed contracts.
But second-rounders had been left behind. Higgins, the second pick in the second round, opened the floodgates as the first second-round pick to land a fully guaranteed deal under the current collective bargaining agreement. Schwesinger, the first selection in this year’s second round, followed suit.
Historically, the second-round selections have received guarantees on portions of their contract, depending on their draft slot. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman, the top pick in last year’s second round, received a 95% guarantee. San Francisco 49ers cornerback Renardo Green, the last selection in that same round, received a 52% guarantee, according to several reports.
The rest of the second-rounders slotted in between the two.
The setup allows teams to cut those players in their third or fourth seasons without catastrophic consequences for the salary cap.
But the secure deals for Higgins and Schwesinger prompted every other second-round pick to ask for the same guarantees as training camp approaches. More than half a dozen rookies had already missed the start of preseason activities through Wednesday afternoon. Without a change soon, that number is expected to grow.
The rookies are not technically “holding out.” Though they agreed to provisional deals to participate in minicamps, the unsigned rookies aren’t under contract. Their teams cannot fine them for missing the training camp period, per the collective bargaining agreement.
A handful of rookies appear to control the fate of their peers now. Any second-rounder who signs and breaks the stalemate would have a cascading effect on the players drafted around him.
Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori, the third pick in the second round, could be the next domino to fall. If he signs a fully guaranteed deal, the trend could continue and force other NFL teams to pick up tabs for their second-rounders.
Alternatively, Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins could have the opposite effect. The fourth pick in the second round was arrested on a domestic violence charge in Florida last week. His agent could have a harder time arguing for a fully guaranteed deal when a potential suspension looms.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough is a wild card in these calculations. The No. 40 overall pick’s value has soared following the surprise retirement of incumbent signal-caller Derek Carr in May.
Shough became the immediate favorite to take snaps for New Orleans in the season opener. The rookie is likely hoping for a guaranteed deal commensurate with his pending responsibilities as a starting quarterback.
If Shough or Emmanwori sign fully guaranteed deals, it likely would set a precedent for other rookies near the top of the second round. But an unguaranteed deal for Judkins could have the opposite effect, forcing other players to settle for deals that guarantee between 50 and 90% of their four-year deal.
The ongoing standoff between teams and the players association has only intensified in recent weeks. According to a recent report from the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast, the NFL Players Association accused NFL teams of colluding to depress player salaries in 2022.
The accusation arose in the aftermath of the Cleveland Browns’ $230 million, fully guaranteed deal with quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“If guarantees continue to grow in both amount and number of players, then there’s a risk they become the norm in contracts regardless of player quality,” NFL officials wrote in a presentation at the March 2022 owners meeting, according to a report obtained by Mr. Torre’s podcast. “That not only has the potential to hinder roster management but set a market standard that will be difficult to walk back.”
An independent arbitrator ruled that the league considered and invited collusive action, but it was not definitively clear that the owners colluded. The players’ union is appealing the ruling.
For now, the agents of the 30 unsigned second-round picks are holding the line as more training camps begin. Every NFL team will open camp by Wednesday.
The preseason begins with a matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on July 31.