Before 2011, few rookies signed their initial NFL contracts before the Fourth of July. Now, most are signed, sealed, and delivered before Memorial Day.
This year, less than two weeks after the draft ended, 58 percent of all picks had signed their rookie deals.
That was the official number as of Friday. Of 257 selections, 148 had agreed to terms.
Only the Rams and Seahawks had signed none of their draft picks, as of Friday.
Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty, the sixth overall pick, is the highest selection under contract. Six of 32 first-round picks have signed.
One trend to watch will be round two. The first two picks — Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger and Texans receiver Jayden Higgins — secured fully-guaranteed four-year deals. They’re the first second-rounders to get every penny of their rookie deals guaranteed. The question becomes how far into the second round the trend will continue.
Last year, each of the first eleven second-round picks received a partial guarantee in year four. The first twelve received full guarantees through year three.
Beyond the question of the amount of full guarantees that will hover over the first third or so of round two, there’s no reason for delay. Rookie contracts have few sticking points. The biggest issues, if any, are signing bonus payout, language for voiding guarantees, and guarantee offsets.
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