There are 19 drafted players who remain unsigned in the NFL. Twelve of them were taken in the second round. Therefore, it is not a big surprise that Christian Watson is the only Green Bay Packers rookie who hasn’t signed a deal yet. The Packers traded up to take the former North Dakota State receiver with the 34th pick.
While the 2011 CBA drastically limited what teams and players can negotiate, there are still some factors both sides have to work out. Most of them are related to total guarantees. Initially, only the top 20 picks had four years guaranteed. But now, agents and players were able to extend that for the entire first round.
“All contracts for draft choices are four years,” explained CBS’ NFL contracts and salary cap analyst Joel Corry. “Each pick in the draft has a salary floor and ceiling in the first year and over the four years of the contract. There are very few negotiable items with rookie contracts anymore. The salary components of a deal are restricted to signing bonus, base salary, roster bonus, reporting bonus, workout bonus, and select incentives.
“The type of salary escalators and incentives that used to be responsible for salaries skyrocketing at the top of the draft are prohibited under the rookie wage scale. A majority of picks only have signing bonus and base salaries in their deals.”
As the years go by, agents keep trying to extend how many rookies get fully guaranteed rookie deals, even though the total salary and signing bonus are previously projected and scaled.
So far, the first four second-rounders haven’t signed their deals:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Logan Hall
- Green Bay Packers receiver Christian Watson
- Tennessee Titans cornerback Roger McCreary
- New York Jets running back Breece Hall
Ian Rapaport reports that Hall is close to signing, but Houston Texans’ defensive back Jalen Pitre is the first second-rounder already under contract. He’s also the first Texans draft pick to sign his deal.
Draft picks who remain unsigned
Second-rounders
- 33 ILD Logan Hall, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 35 CB Roger McCreary, Tennessee Titans
- 34 WR Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
- 36 RB Breece Hall, New York Jets
- 40 EDGE Boye Mafe, Seattle Seahawks
- 41 RB Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
- 42 CB Andrew Booth Jr., Minnesota Vikings
- 43 WR Wan’Dale Robinson, New York Giants
- 45 EDGE David Ojabo, Baltimore Ravens
- 48 S Jaquan Brisker, Chicago Bears
- 49 CB Alontae Taylor, New Orleans Saints
- 59 G Ed Ingram, Minnesota Vikings
Third-rounders
- 86 QB Malik Willis, Tennessee Titans
- 94 QB Matt Corral, Carolina Panthers
Fourth-rounders
- 106 TE Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 108 DT Perrion Winfrey, Cleveland Browns
- 109 CB Coby Bryant, Seattle Seahawks
- 114 S Dane Belton, New York Giants
Pitre got a $3.7 million signing bonus, and the total value of his four-year contract is $8.9 million. Three years are fully guaranteed, but no money is guaranteed in his fourth season.
The guarantees are even lower for the 38th-overall pick, Atlanta Falcons’ edge defender Arnold Ebiketie. He has two fully guaranteed years, plus around $1.3 million of his $1.5 million third-year base salary and nothing for the fourth year.
Naturally, agents and players are trying to elevate their security and increase the number of players with guarantees in the fourth year. It’s good for players who are more secure to start their careers. But it’s even better for agents because they show future rookies the importance of having an agent, even if the contracts are almost entirely pre-determined.
In Watson’s case, there is a decent background to serve as a base for his contract. In the last two years, the 34th-overall picks were also wide receivers. The Indianapolis Colts guaranteed 76.92% of Michael Pittman Jr.’s rookie deal in 2020. Last year, the New York Jets guaranteed 78.98% of Elijah Moore‘s contract. So, it’s fair to expect that Watson’s contract guarantees will be around 80%.
For the Green Bay Packers, finding a resolution is essential as soon as possible. On Friday, rookies report to training camp, and it’s yet to be known if Watson will be available to practice if the deal isn’t signed.
The Packers invested heavily in Watson because of his upside, but the team knows he is a project and a raw player. Therefore, it’s imperative to have a full training camp for him to be acclimated with his teammates, coaches, and the offensive system in general.
“We think his best football is ahead of him,” Gutekunst said after selecting Watson. “We brought him in for one of our 30 visits, got a chance to spend a lot of time with him. Really smart kid who we feel will fit our culture. He’s got really good tape, his athletic traits are off the charts, and the more we got to know him as a person, we felt really good about him.”
If Watson doesn’t pan out, the problems will be much bigger than a couple of hundred thousand dollars in additional guarantees. Watson’s agent knows that, and it’s leverage the Packers might be forced to accept.
