Will dam break with NFL's 30 second-round holdouts? No guarantee
Wide receiver Tre Harris, the second-round pick of the Chargers, was a no-show when rookies reported to training camp earlier this week.
A total of 30 players selected between picks 33 and 64 are unlikely to report without contracts in a standoff centered around one team's decision -- the Houston Texans -- to hand out the first ever fully guaranteed contract to a second-round pick.
Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins signed the four-year, $11.7 million contract in May and would receive every penny of that deal even if he's released or injured.
Team president Nick Caserio said the Texans moved up to get Higgins in part because they were surprised he wasn't selected in the first round as their team draft board projected.
"Watch him play. Here is a guy that basically made himself into an NFL football player," Caserio said of Higgins, who began his career at Eastern Kentucky. "I mean, go watch him play. He went down to the Senior Bowl and he had a good week. Why did we pick him? Because he's a good player, he's a great kid, he's got the right mindset."
The precedent of the guaranteed checks pushed the Cleveland Browns to do the same with the only player picked in the second round before the Texans drafted Higgins 34th overall. Cleveland, which began the trend of fully guaranteed deals for quarterbacks when they acquired Deshaun Watson from Houston (and handed him $230 million over five years), guaranteed the four-year contract with UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger. He'll pocket $11.8 million over the next four years.
Portions of pay to NFL second-round picks have been guaranteed since the rookie pay pool and slotting wage scale went into effect in 2011. In last year's rookie class, four-year deals were anywhere from 50 percent to 95 percent guaranteed.
The 35th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina), and No. 36, Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State), are extremely unlikely to fold in negotiations without elevated guarantees. From the 2024 draft class, the first pick in the second round -- Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman -- signed a contract that is all but fully guaranteed (at just under 96 percent) for four years.
But despite Judkins' recent arrest, Cleveland's history of giving up leverage in these situations won't be dismissed.
If there is a rookie picked in the second round with the most to lose on the field, it could be Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (Louisville). The 40th pick overall, Shough is competing to start in New Orleans following the release of Derek Carr. The breaking point could come down to Shough's view of the financial risk up front and the fallout involved with not reporting to training camp on time.
The 40th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean, had $7,469,987 of his $9.2 million contract guaranteed by Philadelphia when he signed in May before rookie minicamp last year.
--Field Level Media
Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Micah Parsons' dad once named Chiefs, Steelers, Lions as preferred trade destinations
With Micah Parsons officially requesting a trade from the Dallas Cowboys, an old clip of his father, Terrence Parsons, talking about preferred destinations for his son in a hypothetical trade scenario has resurfaced. During an appearance on the "Life in the Stands" podcast in December 2024, Parsons' dad stated that his preferred trade landing spots for the superstar edge rusher are the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Detroit Lions. "I know Pittsburgh fans are like, 'whoa,' but I'm sorry, him [Micah Parsons] and [T.J.] Watt together would be like cheating," Terrence Parsons said. "Him and [Aidan] Hutchinson together in Detroit would be like cheating. I love it. Kansas City, that's who they are right now." Parsons requested a trade out of Dallas due to the franchise's lack of communication with his agent. The 26-year-old's relationship with the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones seems to be completely destroyed. Dallas has no plans of trading Parsons, but if they can't agree on a long-term extension with him, they may be forced to move him at some point. Parsons' father's landing spots for the four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher are bold. Adding Parsons to Kansas City's defense would be lethal, while pairing the disgruntled Cowboy with Watt or Hutchinson in Detroit would also be pretty much unstoppable. However, none of the teams Parsons' dad listed as preferred spots have the money to sign Parsons to a record-breaking extension. The Chiefs are slated to have negative $61 million in cap space next offseason, and the Steelers already have two expensive edge rushers in Watt and Alex Highsmith. As for the Lions, the team must prioritize getting an extension done with Hutchinson first, which likely takes them out of the running for Parsons. It's possible that Parsons lands with one of three destinations his dad spoke about during a podcast appearance last year, as all three franchises are playoff contenders, and two are legitimate Super Bowl contenders in Kansas City and Detroit. However, it remains to be seen whether any have the money to sign Parsons to a new deal after trading valuable picks for him while also keeping their core together. MORE:Infamous Raiders trade used as measuring stick for potential Micah Parsons deal
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bills or Ravens: who has the NFL's top offense?
Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice, fantasy analyst Matt Harmon and NFL writer Charles McDonald discuss their lists for the top offenses entering the season - and why the battle between Buffalo and Baltimore continues. Hear the full conversation on 'Football 301' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Matt, the biggest Ravens believer, the biggest Lamar Jackson fan here. Why do the Ravens get the little tip of the cap over the Bills for you, and why are these your top two offenses, the Bills and Ravens? Let's, let's hear it. Well, the Ravens have Rashod Bateman and the Bills don't. Uh, next question. No, but seriously, I do think I like, I do actually trust the pass catchers in Baltimore over Buffalo, which is a big part of the reason why I broke the tie in favor of them. And I, I still think Derrick Henry is a really good running back. I think that offensive line in Baltimore really overperformed expectations. I probably, I think the Bills have the better offensive line. So again, like these are very, very close, but yeah, I did kind of come down to the pass catchers for me, that Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers, really nice 12 punch at the wide receiver position. The likely injury right now is a little bit of a bummer. He's kind of questionable for week one, but you know, Mark Andrews is still a good player too, so Buffalo, they're probably gonna run out like Keion Coleman at X again and Josh Palmer at the flanker, and that's just gonna be a lot of Khalil Shakir getting targets underneath. So there's a like a collection of pass-catching talent here. I just think the group in Baltimore is a little bit better than Buffalo. Charles. What about you? How'd you split the difference? I'm an offensive line for, I guess my tiebreaker. Baltimore, I was too low on their offensive line last year. I still think saying they overperformed is kind of accurate. You know, it's still not like a group of world beaters, but they blocked well enough that two Hall of Fame football players in their prime can go out there and absolutely demolish. So that's good. I made on Lamar, Rashod Bateman, like the extension there, like this is gonna be an elite offense, but I just thought that Buffalo's offense was a little more sturdy. Last year we learned something really cool about Josh Allen where what does Josh Allen look like without Stefon Diggs? Well, I guess he looks. Like the MVP. I think it makes you hard to defend when your quarterback is so good, your offensive line is so good. I actually really like the Josh Palmer signing for them because he's probably just like an average starting receiver, but that's probably all they really needed. They have enough. They have enough of them to win MVP again. The offensive line's awesome, the running the ball. I don't know. I don't really have too much to say besides that. Close
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bengals officially finalize new lease to keep team in Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium through 2036
The Cincinnati Bengals are officially staying put. The team announced Friday that it has come to an agreement with Hamilton County to keep the Bengals in the area for another decade. The new lease agreement keeps the Bengals in Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium for another decade, with the deal running through 2036. The deal also includes 10 option years to potentially continue the agreement through 2046. In a statement, Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn wrote that the new lease "solidifies the future of the Bengals in Cincinnati, our beloved home, for many years to come." "We love Cincinnati and are proud to call this town home," Blackburn said in the statement. "We look forward to exciting football seasons ahead." This story will be updated.
