Why 30 of the 32 NFL second-round draft picks are still unsigned
Winter is coming…and so are unsigned NFL rookies. With 30 of 32 second-rounders still without contracts, the issue of guaranteed money has sparked a modern-day standoff. Here's why the logjam is happening—and who might break first.
Beware: winter is coming, and the Unsigned are massing like the Unsullied. As NFL teams prepare to kick off their respective training camps before the end of the month, 30 of the league’s 32 second-round draft picks still remain without contracts.
It’s all because of the *Cajun voice* gar-on-tees
The only two second-rounders that have inked deals so far are the #1 pick of the round, LB Carson Schwesinger (Browns), and the #2 pick of the round, WR Jayden Higgins (Texans).
Both of their contracts are fully-guaranteed, a first for second-round picks in the latest collective bargaining agreement (CBA)—which was supposed to prevent this sort of thing from happening.
- Following a string of high-profile lockouts that included WR Michael Crabtree and former-#1 pick QB JaMarcus Russell, the 2011 CBA introduced a rookie wage scale.
- It established a hard ceiling for first-year contracts, financial guidelines for each draft slot (slot money), and stipulated each contract be four years in length.
This left guaranteed money as one of the only deal points left to negotiate. First-rounders didn’t maneuver their way into receiving full guarantees until 2022, with this year’s second-round holdouts hoping to similarly move the needle in that direction.
Who will blink first? Movement could happen soon between the Saints and QB Tyler Shough (#40 overall), who’s in a strong negotiating position since he’s expected to be taking snaps under center for the team to start the season, and/or the Browns and RB Quinshon Judkins (#36), whose negotiating power was reduced over the weekend after being arrested on a domestic violence charge.
It’s not just rookies…NFL veteran contract guarantees have also been a hot topic, like that store at the mall we all make fun of but secretly love. A report published in June claims that the league encouraged teams to reduce the guaranteed dollars in veteran contracts, citing an independent arbitrator’s findings.
