'Monangai will run you over:' Rutgers HC Schiano discusses Bears rookie | The Offseason
Training camp will give us plenty of ideas about who will be in the Chicago Bears' starting lineup come Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Will Ozzy Trapilo start at left tackle as a rookie? Where will Luther Burden see the most playing time? Can Shemar Turner play on the interior and the exterior of the defensive line?
All of those questions will be answered, but the biggest storyline of training camp comes well off the field.
Why have only two of the 32 second-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft signed their contracts? This does not include Burden, Trapilo and Turner, who have not signed their contracts as second-round picks.
This is why the second-round pick contract standoff is the biggest storyline for the Bears entering NFL training camp.
What we know:
There's a reason for the lack of second-round signings.
Linebacker Carson Schwesinger, the No. 33 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns, and Jayden Higgins, the No. 34 overall pick by the Houston Texans, both signed their contracts as second-round picks around the same time. That's not the issue at hand.
Now, the issue on the table is that both players have signed fully guaranteed contracts. This is a first for second-round picks in the NFL's current CBA.
For reference, the first pick of the second round in 2024, Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman, doesn't have the entirety of his contract guaranteed. According to CBS Sports, 80 percent of Coleman's compensation with the Bills in 2027 is fully guaranteed. This is far from common.
The other side:
At least two of the Bears' second-round picks are in the running for significant positions.
Trapilo played at left tackle with the first-team offense for most of mandatory minicamp and OTAs, meaning he'll have a chance to push starting left tackle Braxton Jones for the starting job on Caleb Williams' blind side. Burden was selected No. 38 overall, even after the Bears signed Olamide Zaccheus. The Mizzou product could be the Bears' go-to slot receiver.
Even Turner has a chance to earn himself significant playing time as a rookie in camp.
However, per NFL rules, a player without a signed contract cannot participate in training camp. This includes rookies, even if the rights to those rookies belong to a specific team.
If Burden, Turner and Trapilo don't sign their contracts before next Tuesday, they risk missing out on reps in camp to help earn their spots in the 2025 season. However, it's hard to fault the rookies. Rookie contracts have been evolving.
In 2022, it became the unofficial standard to fully guarantee contracts for first-round picks. This might be the next paradigm shift in NFL rookie contracts.
What's next:
Time will tell what happens next. Either the players or teams will have to blink first in negotiations.
Schwesinger and Higgins have set a precedent, but other teams don't have to follow that mold. Some players have solid ground to stand on in their negotiations, though.
CBS is reporting New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough is insisting on a fully guaranteed contract. Shough has some ground to stand on, though. Derek Carr retired this offseason, leaving Shough, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener on the Saints' depth chart at quarterback. Shough could very well be the Week 1 starter at quarterback for New Orleans.
Shough's contract could be the next domino to fall in the standoff.
The Bears have three second-round picks to sign. The rest of the Bears' draft class is under contract, including first-round selection and No. 10 overall pick Colston Loveland.
If the Bears want to truly see how their second-round picks can factor into their gameday lineups, the team might have to wait until the standoff ends. It remains to be seen how long that timeframe actually is.
BearsSports