The dominoes are starting to fall in the NFL’s second-round holdout saga.
The 49ers offered a mostly guaranteed deal to their second-round draft pick, Alfred Collins, one of a unique group of holdouts this offseason.
For months, 30 of the 32 second-round picks taken in this year’s NFL draft had been holding out. The first two players selected in the round, Jayden Higgins and Carson Schwesinger, signed fully guaranteed contracts in early May, a luxury until then only reserved for first-round picks. No other second-rounders had signed since then, and some, led first by Charger Tre Harris, have been holding out of training camp this week. The Chargers were the first team to require rookies to report on Saturday, and the Bills, Dolphins, Giants, Ravens, Seahawks, and 49ers followed on Tuesday.
Late Wednesday, reports surfaced that the 49ers have offered a four-year, $10.3 million deal to Collins, a defensive lineman from Texas, that includes $9 million guaranteed, according to ESPN. Collins’s deal isn’t fully guaranteed, but $9 million is more than the player drafted at his same spot in the draft order got last year ($6.93 million). He was taken No. 43 overall.
The next signing came Thursday morning. Shemar Turner, a defensive tackle from Texas A&M taken at No. 62 overall, signed his four-year deal with the Bears. It isn’t immediately clear how much of Turner’s deal is guaranteed.
Now that Collins has opened the door, it’s anticipated other second-rounders will put pen to paper. The Chargers were the first team to require all players to head to training camp Wednesday, and all players will be reporting across the league by next Wednesday.
The signings continued to flood Thursday, most of them not entirely guaranteed. Former South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori, taken third in the second round by the Seahawks, got his deal fully guaranteed, as did guard Jonah Savaiinaea with the Dolphins, taken two picks later from Arizona.
Other holdouts who signed their contracts this week include No. 20 pick Jahdae Barron, the Broncos cornerback from Texas, and fourth-rounder Jack Kiser, a linebacker from Notre Dame drafted to Jacksonville. No. 17 overall Shemar Stewart, an edge rusher from Texas A&M, remains the only player from the first round still holding out; the Bengals are reportedly trying to make a change to their contract language for first-round picks this year.
