The NFL is less than two weeks away from the first day rookies report to training camp for some teams, yet 30 of the 32 players selected in the second round of the draft haven’t signed a contract.
It’s not that these players don’t want a spot on the team—they’ve participated in offseason events with their new squads. But they’re holding out on putting pen to paper after two second-rounders signed fully guaranteed contracts in May.
Jayden Higgins signed with the Texans the first fully guaranteed contract for a second-round pick in NFL history on May 8. He was the second player taken in the second round. The next day, Carson Schwesinger, who preceded Higgins in the draft by one spot, signed a fully guaranteed deal with the Browns.
Historically, first-round picks sign fully guaranteed contracts, which means teams will be on the hook to pay athletes if they cut them for talent, injury, or cap space. But Higgins and Schwesinger changed the script, and not a single second-rounder has signed since their early May announcements.
The group is each day inching closer to training camp, particularly the earlier arrival date for rookies. Reporting dates vary by teams, but the soonest one for rookies is July 12 for the Chargers. That puts the most pressure on wide receiver Tre Harris, drafted by Los Angeles out of Ole Miss at No. 55 overall, although his team does have a habit of signing second-rounders well into June. The latest date for rookies is July 23, when all Falcons and Steelers regardless of service will report.
Across sports, there’s usually little to no negotiating that goes on with rookie contracts, which are laid out based on draft selection in collective bargaining agreements. The NFL has had a rookie wage scale since 2011. But each year, the NFL sees holdouts and hold-ins—veterans who choose not to report to training camp or sit out on football activities to put pressure on contract negotiations. If the second-rounders continue their stalemate into training camp, they would set a new precedent for holdouts and hold-ins.
NFL teams don’t necessarily shell out on second-rounders. Higgins and Schwesinger signed four-year contracts worth $11.7 million and $11.8 million, respectively, and they’ll be the highest-paid in the group. By comparison, No. 1 overall Cam Ward’s four-year rookie deal pays $48.8 million.
Some reports have pointed a finger at Saints 40th overall pick Tyler Shough, who is competing for a starting spot in New Orleans after Derek Carr announced his unexpected retirement in May. Shough’s camp is specifically focused on guaranteeing the fourth-year salary, according to CBS Sports.
“The whole second round, [we’re] just seeing kind of where things lie,” Shough told The Times-Picayune last week. “I want to fight for as much as we can get, but at the same time, there’s a lot of things that have yet to unfold with other guys ahead [of me].”
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