2014 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars Sign Blake Bortles

June 18th, 2014 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

8:15am: There are no offsets in Bortles’ deal, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports.

8:07am: The Jaguars have locked up the third overall pick from last month’s draft, announcing today that they’ve signed quarterback Blake Bortles. As a first-rounder, Bortles’ four-year rookie deal will also feature a fifth-year club option for the 2018 season.

“It’s awesome,” Bortles said of signing his contract. “It’s awesome to be able to kind of put this in the past. It’s a once in a lifetime thing, signing your first contract. It’s a cool feeling.”

The first quarterback selected in the draft, Bortles will receive a signing bonus worth in the neighborhood of $13.342MM, according to Jason Fitzgerald’s figures at Over the Cap. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union notes (via Twitter) that the entire amount ($20.65MM+) of Bortles’ four-year deal is guaranteed, though it’s not clear whether offsets are included in the agreement.

By signing Bortles, who currently ranks behind Chad Henne on the team’s depth chart, the Jaguars move a step closer toward locking up their draft class. Two of Henne’s and Bortles’ targets, second-round receivers Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson, remain unsigned, as our tracker indicates.

Cowboys Sign Demarcus Lawrence

June 18th, 2014 at 8:11am CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 8:11am: Lawrence formally signed his rookie contract with the Cowboys this morning, according to agent David Canter (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 8:24pm: The Cowboys expect to ink their lone remaining unsigned draft pick this week. Demarcus Lawrence is the last of the Mohicans amongst the Cowboys’ nine draft picks, but both sides believe that they’re on the cusp of completing his deal, writes Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News.

Lawrence’s agent has been out of the country, delaying the process, but the Cowboys believe his deal should be completed by the end of the week. For his part, the second-round pick out of Boise State says he’s not worried about being the only one left unsigned. He also made it clear that he’s not holding out for anything special, so it sounds like the delay is purely procedural. Lawrence is one of a dozen 2014 NFL draftees who have yet to sign their deals.

There will be significant pressure on Lawrence to perform in his freshman campaign. Lawrence was drafted to help fill the void left by the release of DeMarcus Ware and there will be added heat for everyone in the front seven thanks to the absence of Sean Lee.

Jets Sign Dexter McDougle

June 17th, 2014 at 6:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets announced that they have signed former Maryland cornerback Dexter McDougle to a four-year deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). McDougle was the club’s third-round pick. With the cornerback in the fold, the Jets have now inked all 12 of their draft picks from this year’s class, as shown in PFR’s running list.

The Jets, who cut Antonio Cromartie this offseason, must think highly of McDougle. The Jets passed on top CBs like Darqueze Dennard, Jason Verrett, and Bradley Roby in order to take Louisville safety Calvin Pryor in the first round. Rather than try and hit on the next tier of corners in the second round, they tabbed Texas A&M tight end Jace Amaro. After taking McDougle, the Jets didn’t select another corner until the sixth round.

As ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini recently wrote, Jets coach Rex Ryan wasn’t entirely sold on McDougle prior to the draft. However, his concerns were assuaged by defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman and others.

Titans Sign Second-Rounder Bishop Sankey

June 17th, 2014 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Titans have locked up their second round pick, agent Jason Bernstein announced today, tweeting that running back Bishop Sankey has signed his rookie contract with the club (hat tip to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan). The deal will keep Sankey under contract through the 2017 season.

The 54th overall pick, Sankey was the first running back off the board in last month’s draft, and was the Titans’ second pick after offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, who remains unsigned. As I detailed earlier this afternoon, Sankey and Lewan were two of just 13 picks who had yet to put pen to paper, so the running back’s agreement means we’re down to just 12 unsigned draftees now.

According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, Sankey’s signing bonus will be worth about $1.115MM, while the overall value of his four-year pact amounts to around $3.843MM.

13 Draftees Still Unsigned

June 17th, 2014 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

While a couple dozen mandatory offseason minicamps around the NFL are getting underway today, we’re still several weeks away from players reporting for training camps. That means there’s still plenty of time for members of 2014’s draft class to sign contracts with their respective teams. Still, for the most part, this year’s draftees won’t need to take those next few weeks to negotiate their deals.

After the Browns announced their agreement with Johnny Manziel and the Texans signed Xavier Su’a-Filo today, nearly 95% (243 of 256) of this year’s draft picks have been locked up by their new NFL clubs. 24 of 32 teams have totally locked up their draft classes, including the 49ers, who selected a league-high 12 players last month.

Since the new Collective Bargaining Agreement made rookie contracts so standardized, there’s little wiggle room for teams and players to push for better deals, and essentially no reason for players to hold out. Among the remaining unsigned players, five are first-round picks, six are second-rounders, and the last two are third-rounders, so in many cases the holdup can likely be attributed to haggling over offsets, guaranteed money, or the way in which that money gets paid. But as soon as a player was drafted, he essentially knew what his rookie contract would look like, based on his draft slot.

With the help of our tracker, here’s the full list of the remaining 13 unsigned draftees:

Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (1.3)
Justin Gilbert, CB, Cleveland Browns (1.8)
Taylor Lewan, OT, Tennessee Titans (1.11)
Ja’Wuan James, OT, Miami Dolphins (1.19)
Dominique Easley, DT, New England Patriots (1.29)
Demarcus Lawrence, DE/OLB, Dallas Cowboys (2.34)
Joel Bitonio, OT, Cleveland Browns (2.35)
Marqise Lee, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (2.39)
Stephon Tuitt, DE, Pittsburgh Steelers (2.46)
Bishop Sankey, RB, Tennessee Titans (2.54)
Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (2.61)
Billy Turner, OT, Miami Dolphins (3.67)
Dexter McDougle, CB, New York Jets (3.80)

Texans Sign Second-Rounder Xavier Su’a-Filo

June 17th, 2014 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

1:23pm: Su’a-Filo’s deal includes $3.96MM in guaranteed money, out of a $5.55MM total, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

12:29pm: The Texans have officially signed second-round offensive lineman Xavier Su’a-Filo to his rookie contract, tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan. Because he was the first selection of the second round, Su’a-Filo won’t have a fifth-year team option on his four-year rookie deal.

As the 33rd overall pick, Su’a-Filo will still make out nicely in the agreement, earning a signing bonus of about $2.358MM, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. The 23-year-old out of UCLA figures to compete for a starting job on the Texans’ offensive line in camp this summer.

By securing Su’a-Filo, the Texans have now ensured that their entire 2014 draft class is under contract, making Houston the 24th team to sign all of its picks. You can follow all the signings using our tracker.

Johnny Manziel, Browns Agree To Terms

June 17th, 2014 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

12:18pm: About 94% of Manziel’s rookie contract is fully guaranteed, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), who adds that the deal includes a $250K roster bonus in March of the fourth year.

11:30am: The Browns have locked up one of their two first-round picks, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve agreed to terms with quarterback Johnny Manziel. With Manziel under contract, the team just needs to sign first-round cornerback Justin Gilbert and second-round tackle Joel Bitonio.

The 22nd overall pick in May, Manziel enters the NFL after two standout seasons as Texas A&M’s starter. In 2012, he compiled 3,706 passing yards and 1,410 rushing yards, throwing for 26 TDs and running for another 21, en route to a Heisman Trophy. Manziel’s rushing totals were more modest in 2013, but his passing stats improved, as he racked up over 4,100 yards and 37 touchdowns through the air.

After passing on Manziel with the eighth overall pick, the Browns sent the 26th and 83rd overall selections to Philadelphia in order to move up to No. 22 and snag the young signal-caller. Per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, the 21-year-old will be in line for a signing bonus worth about $4.319MM, while the overall value of his four-year contract will be around $8.249MM. Cleveland will also hold a fifth-year team option for the 2018 season.

Giants Sign Jay Bromley, Terrell Manning

June 16th, 2014 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Giants have finalized the signings of all their 2014 draftees, announcing today in a press release that they’ve locked up third-round defensive tackle Jay Bromley. In addition to Bromley, the club also signed free agent linebacker Terrell Manning.

The 74th overall pick in the draft, Bromley is in line for a signing bonus worth in the neighborhood of $644K, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. As our tracker shows, the Syracuse product was the last of seven Giants picks to ink his deal, and the move ensures that New York is the 23rd team to get its entire draft class under contract. Billy Turner of the Dolphins and Dexter McDougle of the Jets are now the only third-rounders that have yet to sign with their respective clubs.

As for Manning, the 24-year-old was a Packers’ fifth-round pick in 2012, and spent that season with the club before joining the Chargers last year. Manning’s playing time in his two NFL seasons has been extremely limited, with only a handful of special teams appearances on his resumé. The former North Carolina State standout had been claimed off waivers by the Vikings earlier this offseason, but was cut to make room for Minnesota’s undrafted free agent additions.

Cowboys Sign Zack Martin

June 16th, 2014 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys have signed first-round pick Zack Martin to his rookie contract, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. Now that they’ve locked up the offensive tackle, Dallas has just one unsigned draftee remaining — second-round edge defender Demarcus Lawrence.

Martin, the 16th overall pick, was something of a surprise selection last month, since Tyron Smith is locked in at left tackle in Dallas, and many observers believed the Cowboys would either select a defender or opt for the splashier pick in Johnny Manziel. Martin was considered one of the top offensive linemen in the draft, and ended up being the fourth tackle off the board, behind Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews, and Taylor Lewan.

Per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, Martin will be in line for a signing bonus of $4.842MM, with an overall four-year value of nearly $9MM. As is the case with all of this year’s first-round picks, Martin will also have a fifth-year option on his deal, which the Cowboys will have the opportunity to exercise to keep him under contract for the 2018 season.

Now that Martin has signed, only 16 draftees have yet to put pen to paper, including six other first-rounders.

Lions Sign First-Rounder Eric Ebron

June 13th, 2014 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

First-round pick Eric Ebron has officially signed his contract with the Lions, according to a tweet from the tight end himself. Ebron posted a photo of him putting pen to paper, announcing that it’s a “done deal.” The move ensures that Detroit now has its entire 2014 draft class under contract.

Ebron, 21, was viewed as far and away the best tight end prospect in this year’s draft class after racking up 973 receiving yards on 62 receptions during his junior year at North Carolina in 2013. Still, it was a bit of a surprise when the Lions selected him with the 10th overall pick last month — the team already committed a significant portion of its offseason spending to pass-catchers to complement Calvin Johnson, having signed Golden Tate and Brandon Pettigrew to long-term deals. The Ravens were reportedly very interested if the UNC product had lasted a little longer in the first round.

The eight and final Lions draftee to ink his deal, Ebron will be in line for a signing bonus of more than $7.228MM, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. The four-year value of the contract, which includes a fifth-year team option, will be about $12.249MM. We’ll have to wait to hear details about possible offsets, but the pact will likely be fully guaranteed.

It was believed that the Lions would have to rework another player’s deal to create cap space to formally sign Ebron, so we’ll see if any corresponding moves are reported today. Ndamukong Suh is the most notable restructure candidate on the roster, but the club wouldn’t necessarily have had to do something with his contract in particular in order to sign Ebron.