30 of the NFL’s 32 2nd-round picks are still unsigned as rookies start to report for training camp.
On Saturday, the Los Angeles Chargers’ rookies reported for training camp. This might seem a little early to Green Bay Packers fans, whose team starts camp on the 23rd, but the Chargers get extra time on the front end because they’ll be participating in the Hall of Fame Game that kicks off on July 31st against the Detroit Lions.
Three weeks ago, we wrote about how 30 of the 32 second-round picks selected in April’s draft have yet to sign with their teams. As of now, there has been absolutely zero movement on that front over the last 20 days.
That’s why today’s news, that Chargers second-round pick Tre Harris is holding out, is likely a preview of what is to come. Harris, a receiver, had participated with Los Angeles during the offseason, but is holding out due to guarantees in his contract.
The Houston Texans made the decision to fully guarantee the contract of second-round receiver Jayden Higgins, who was picked with the second pick of that round. Since then, the question of how many second-round picks will receive fully guaranteed contracts remains unanswered. The Cleveland Browns owned the first pick of that round and wound up giving a fully guaranteed deal to linebacker Carson Schwesigner, but haven’t handed over the same deal to running back Quinshon Judkins, who remains unsigned after being the fourth pick in the second round. To complicate matters further, Judkins was arrested and charged with domestic violence this week, which likely means that his contract situation will drag out even longer.
So why are guarantees such a big deal? First of all, players’ rookie contracts are locked in, from a value standpoint, based on the rookie wage scale, which was first agreed to during the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement. All other portions of their contracts, though, like how much of that money is guaranteed or the type of clauses in their contracts, can be debated between the franchise that selected them and the player’s representation.
For perspective, 2024 Packers second-round pick Javon Bullard received $3.7 million in guarantees on his $6.7 million four-year contract last offseason. That’s dwarfed by Higgins’ $11.7 million in guarantees he got from Houston.
So you can see why players aren’t willing to take multi-million dollar risks to practice in training camp without having a contract in hand. Eventually, someone has to make some movement in the market so players can report. No one wants to sign for less guaranteed money than the person ahead of them, so it has to start toward the top of the second-rounder list.
With that in mind, here are a couple of key players’ situations that are worth following:
- Nick Emmanwori: The 35th overall pick in the draft is the top unsigned player remaining. If the Seattle Seahawks give him a fully guaranteed contract, the teams that drafted players behind Emmanwori are more likely to give their draft choices fully guaranteed money. But the Seahawks might not be the first team to move, as it’s in their interest to hope that someone gives less guaranteed money to players selected behind Emmanwori to drive his price lower.
- Tyler Shough: Quarterbacks generally are the players who are able to push rookie markets forward. Shough was picked 40th overall, making him the eighth selection in the second round. In league circles, there’s some hope that Shough can sign his deal with the New Orleans Saints quickly, even if it’s fully guaranteed, so that the teams with second-round picks ahead of Shough can go ahead and pull the trigger on executing fully guaranteed deals. If the Saints want to drag this out, though, the rest of the league will have to simply wait for New Orleans to make a decision.
It’s worth noting here that Harris was picked 55th overall. The player selected one pick ahead of him is Packers tackle Anthony Belton, who, like Harris, has been working out with his team this offseason. It’s hard to project who will be holding out and who won’t be, as those decisions are made on an individual basis, but it wouldn’t shock me if agents around the league got together and advised their players to not suit up until they get contracts inked.