Only 51 Draft Picks Remain Unsigned
Under the NFL’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, signing draft picks has become easier than ever before, making rookie holdouts a thing of the past. With contracts strictly slotted by draft position, teams and agents can haggle over guaranteed money, offsets, and a couple other factors, but for the most part, as soon as a player is drafted, he knows what his rookie contract will look like.
Given the lack of flexibility for rookie deals, it’s no surprise that only two and a half weeks after the 2015 draft ended, over 80% of this year’s draftees are now under contract with their respective teams. Of this year’s 256 draft picks, 205 have reached agreements with their clubs, while 51 remain unsigned, according to our tracker.
Should we expect lengthy holdups for those remaining 51 players? Probably not. As mentioned above, total guaranteed money can be a point of contention, particularly for first- and second-round picks, but it would be a surprise if any of the players currently unsigned are still without contracts when training camps get underway in July.
Here are a few other notes on 2015’s draft pick signings so far:
- Most of the remaining unsigned draftees – 36 of 51 – are first-, second-, or third-rounders, with the first round still having the most players left to sign, at 13.
- Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, the second overall pick, is the only player in the top seven who has yet to sign.
- Of the NFL’s 32 teams, 13 have finished signing their draft classes. The Ravens, Bills, Panthers, Bears, Texans, Chiefs, Dolphins, Vikings, Jets, Eagles, Chargers, 49ers, and Washington have all taken care of all their draft business.
- The Rams are the only team in the NFL that has yet to sign a single draft pick, or at least to confirm that they’ve done so — I’d expect the club to formally announce all nine of its signings in one fell swoop.
- Besides the Rams, every team has signed its sixth-round picks. Similarly, in the fifth round, only two Raiders draftees and Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona remain unsigned. The delay with Cardona may be related to negotiating his obligations to the Navy.
NFC Notes: Rams, Garcia, Lions, Walsh
Former NFL signal-caller Jeff Garcia interviewed for the Rams‘ quarterbacks coach job earlier in the offseason, but the position ultimately went to Chris Weinke. Still, the club apparently liked what it saw from Garcia. According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter), the Rams have added Garcia to their coaching staff as an offensive assistant for the coming season.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Lance Moore received a $40K signing bonus from the Lions and will get another $40K bonus if he’s on the team’s roster in Week 1, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. As Birkett observes, the modest guaranteed money on the minimum salary deal hardly assures the veteran wideout of a regular season roster spot. Birkett also provides contract details for defensive lineman Corey Wootton ($150K guaranteed) and second-round running back Ameer Abdullah ($2.29MM guaranteed).
- Asked about a possible contract extension to keep him in Minnesota beyond the 2015 season, kicker Blair Walsh expressed optimism, but cautioned that he and the Vikings haven’t had serious talks yet. “We have to make sure we’re on the same page and the numbers match up,” Walsh told Alex Marvez and Bill Polian on SiriusXM NFL Radio (TwitLonger link). “That’s for management and my agent to discuss. I’ll be ready to talk about it when they are.”
- The Cowboys are happy to have cornerback Orlando Scandrick back at their offseason workouts, as Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details. Scandrick and the team continue to discuss the possibility of a new contract that would increase his salary for 2015.
- Seahawks defensive tackle Jesse Williams was diagnosed with papillary type 2 cancer and will undergo kidney surgery, the team announced this week.
Extra Points: Brown, Wilkerson, Raiders
The NFL and NFLPA recently reached a settlement that capped the number of unsigned veterans who can participate in tryouts at rookie minicamp to five players, sources tell Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. The financial compensation for participating veterans was one of the NFLPA’s concerns, and that apparently outweighed the upside of deals coming together for players like Josh Morgan, who signed with the Saints after an impressive tryout during rookie minicamp. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- The Patriots had free agent cornerback Tarell Brown in for a visit today, a team source tells Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This is the second time that the Pats have hosted Brown for a visit.
- Jets owner Woody Johnson didn’t make it sound like a new deal for Muhammad Wilkerson is coming anytime soon, as Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post writes. “We’re continuing to have dialogue sporadically, but it’s got to be something that works for both sides,” Johnson said.
- The Raiders are open to selling a minority stake in the team to a Bay Area company if that company can help fill the $400MM stadium financing gap that currently exists, Peter Schrager of FOX Sports tweets.
- Washington proposed that roster cuts should go from a 90-man roster to a 53-man roster, but that idea was voted down, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- With 49ers defensive lineman Justin Smith retiring in May, he has more than $2.1MM in unearned signing bonus money, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. The 49ers could try and recoup that money, but they might feel indebted to Smith after he restructured his deal in 2013. Meanwhile, the former defensive end known as Cowboy says he checked out 49ers rookie minicamp and he might want to “dip my toe into coaching” after a couple years, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com tweets.
- Saints receivers coach John Morton probably had some input in the signing of wide receiver Lance Lewis, who spent last year under Morton on the 49ers’ practice squad, Evan Woodbery of The Times Picayune tweets. Earlier today, New Orleans signed Lewis and dropped kicker Shayne Graham.
- The release of Graham leaves the Saints on the hook for his $10K signing bonus, Woodbery notes (on Twitter). The team’s dead money total has now risen a tad, from $21.67MM to $21.68MM.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Here are Tuesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with any additional moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Colts have waived wide receiver Josh Lenz, who has spent a good chunk of the last two seasons on Indianapolis’ practice squad, the team announced today in a press release. Lenz had signed a reserve/futures contract with the Colts following the club’s elimination from the postseason back in January.
- The Steelers have claimed former Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Gardner was previously attempting to hook on with the Pats as a wide receiver before his release on Monday. To make room, the Steelers waived wide receiver L’Damian Washington, according to Steelers PR man Burt Lauten (on Twitter).
- The Chargers waived tackle Bryce Quigley, a San Diego State product, to create roster room for Joe Barksdale, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets.
- Another player who signed a reserve/futures deal with his team this past winter, running back Demitrius Bronson has been waived by the Seahawks with an injured designation, writes Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk. Bronson, who was on Seattle’s taxi squad for most of the 2014 campaign, suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the offseason.
- The Buccaneers have signed UDFA Antoine Everett, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter). To make room for the former McNeese St. guard, tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi was waived with an injured designation.
- Wide receiver Malcome Kennedy cleared waivers and was placed on the Saints‘ IR, Evan Woodbery of The Times Picayune tweets.
- The Chiefs signed running back Keshawn Hill, guard Melvin Meggs, center Dan Munye, and tackle Kelvin Palmer, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. To make room, KC cut fullback Manasseh Garner, tight end Earnest Pettway, and tackle Charles Sweeton.
AFC East Notes: Tannehill, Manuel, Bills
Until recently, the possibility of a contract extension didn’t seem all that likely to Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes.
“I didn’t know if it was going to happen or not,” Tannehill told reporters today . “I still had two years [on my contract], so it wasn’t something I was expecting. Fortunately enough, we made it happen.”
Eventually, a deal came together and the quarterback now has major financial security in the form of a six-year, $96MM deal. And, as Beasley notes, agent Pat Dye could argue that Tannehill’s new-money average from 2017 through 2020 is the sixth-highest in the league – with a bit of accounting magic. Here’s more from the AFC East..
- Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman shot down speculation that quarterback EJ Manuel could be cut in training camp if he doesn’t show progress, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets. Yesterday, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW reported that Manuel might not make the 53-man roster if he doesn’t take a step forward. The Florida State product had a promising rookie season in which he threw for 1,972 yards in ten starts but even then, his touchdown-to-interception ratio left much to be desired as he threw for 11 scores but gave up 9 picks. Last season, he lost the starting job after four games.
- Bills running backs coach Anthony Lynn is concerned about Bryce Brown‘s absence from voluntary workouts, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News writes. That’s not great news for Brown, especially when considering all the backs in competition in Buffalo. “Bryce is doing what he has to do right now, taking care of his family in the offseason, but yes, it will set him back,” he said. “I mean, he’s five, six weeks behind everyone else. Once he gets here, it’s going to be hard to slow down and catch him up. That’s one of my biggest concerns, but, you know, he’s got the playbook. Hopefully he’s taking care of his business and hopefully he’ll come in in great shape and we’ll see what happens.”
- Patriots owner Robert Kraft surrendered in a battle he couldn’t win, Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe opines.
NFL Approves Change To Extra Points
NFL owners have approved a change to extra point attempts, as Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter) reports. From now on, PAT attempts will be taken from the 15-yard line, the distance of a 33-yard field goal try.
Two-point conversions will remain untouched and continue to be done from the two-yard line. However, the opposing defense can now return those attempts for two points of its own in the case of a fumble or interception, Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune tweets.
Regular point-after attempts can also be returned by defenses for two points, Garafolo tweets. If a team lines up for two points and is penalized, the club can opt to instead kick for one point, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com tweets.
The Raiders and Washington both voted against changes to the extra point, a source tells Garafolo (link). In the end, however, they were outnumbered. While some will surely be critical of the new plan, it’s undeniable that extra points will now be much more interesting in 2015.
Bills Sign Second-Round Pick Ronald Darby
The Bills announced that they have signed cornerback Ronald Darby, their final unsigned draft pick, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Buffalo took Darby in the second round.
Darby was the Bills’ top pick in this year’s draft since they sent their 2015 first-round choice to the Browns in the Sammy Watkins trade of 2014. The Florida State product is a truly freakish athlete with a wildly impressive resume. In high school, he won the 100- and 200-meter dashes in the Maryland 3A state championships and was also part of the gold medal-winning USA medley relay team at the 2011 World Youth Championships in France.
Prior to the draft, Mike Mayock of the NFL Network praised Darby’s “world-class” speed but noted that he needs to learn not to grab his opponent going downfield.
NFLPA Files Motion Against Goodell In Peterson Case
The NFLPA is gearing up to fight two massive battles against the league. The union announced on Tuesday that it has filed a motion in Federal Court in the Adrian Peterson matter to hold the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell in contempt of court. The strongly worded statement from NFLPA president Eric Winston is below, in its entirety:
“Today, the players filed a motion in Federal Court in the Adrian Peterson matter because the Commissioner and NFL have deliberately ignored both the Court’s decision from eleven weeks ago and our repeated requests to comply with that order.
On February 26th, the NFL was ordered to change their decision in the Peterson matter and reissue a ruling consistent with our collective bargaining agreement. The Union made multiple requests to the League office asking the arbitrator, who serves at the direction of the Commissioner, to comply with the law and avoid further litigation. Despite our attempts, they have done nothing and leave us no choice but to seek this motion.
The delay tactics, inconsistencies and arbitrary decision making of the League has continued to hurt the rights of players, the credibility of the League office and the integrity of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. In the absence of any action by the NFL’s governing board of owners, the players have acted to hold the NFL accountable to our players, the CBA and to the law.”
According to the NFLPA’s court filing, attorney Jeffrey Kessler contacted Harold Henderson and NFL counsel and warned them of a possible contempt motion, Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports tweets. League counsel Dan Nash, according to the NFLPA, insisted that Henderson delay any ruling until the 8th Circuit court rules on the appeal, which will take months (link).
The union also goes after the NFL for acting in defiance of court orders by retroactively applying the new personal conduct policy to Greg Hardy (link). If the NFLPA can win this battle regarding Peterson, it could go a long way towards potentially reducing Hardy’s suspension.
Raiders Owner Mark Davis On Possible Move
Raiders owner Mark Davis told an audience in the Ritz-Carlton lobby that his goal remains keeping his team in Oakland, as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets. Of course, while he’s working on that front, the Raiders and Chargers have enlisted the help of Carmen Policy to help facilitate the joint Carson City project. Davis later added that he wouldn’t consider moving the Raiders to St. Louis in the event that the Rams bolt for Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Davis says that the Raiders and Chargers closed on the land deal in Carson last night, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets. While Davis’ preference might be to stay put, he’s also well-prepared to move if necessary.
Davis said he has $500M to give on a $900M potential stadium in Oakland, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, and it remains to be seen if the city is willing to cover that funding gap. When asked what’s needed to keep the Raiders in Oakland, Davis responded (link), “Ask the city of Oakland and the county of Alameda.”
Carson and Oakland are on the table, but he says the chances of the Raiders playing at the Levi’s Stadium, home of the 49ers, are “zero,” as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. He also says there is no way he’d ever sell the team (link).
NFLPA Moves To Recuse Goodell From Brady Appeal
The NFLPA announced that it has formally requested that commissioner Roger Goodell recuse himself as the arbitrator in Tom Brady‘s disciplinary appeal. The statement reads:
“Given a process that has contained procedural violations of our collective bargaining agreement, the Commissioner’s role as a central witness in the appeal hearing and his evident partiality with respect to the Wells report, the Commissioner must designate a neutral party to serve as an arbitrator in this matter. The players also believe that the Commissioner’s history of inconsistently issuing discipline against our players makes him ill-suited to hear this appeal in a fair-minded manner. If the NFL believes the Ted Wells report has credibility because it is independent, then the NFL should embrace our request for an independent review.”
The demand has been formally made by the union, but don’t expect the commissioner to cave. Indications leading up to the meetings continue to be that Goodell won’t step aside as he wants to talk to Brady himself, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets.