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The hours after the NFL draft are a maelstrom, with agents, media, fans, and the players themselves all jockeying to announce deals between rookie free agents and the teams working quickly to recruit them. Those discussions often manifest in bidding wars as teams make competing offers for players, guaranteeing greater portions of their base salary or lucrative signing bonuses.
In 2020, that meant the Saints paid a few of their undrafted free agents like seventh-round picks, particularly valuing Michigan State linebacker Joe Bachie (who received $160,000 in guarantees, making him one of the NFL’s highest-paid college free agents). Versatile Oregon offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton was also guaranteed $122,5000 by the Saints. Bachie and Throckmorton were the only members of the rookie free agent class to break the $100,000 threshold in guarantees, though a few others came close. That suggests the team valued them highly and expects each rookie to make a strong case for a roster spot.
For comparison, last year’s final draft pick, Idaho linebacker Kaden Elliss, was guaranteed only a $76,316 signing bonus. The Saints also picked Notre Dame tight end Alize Mack a few slots ahead of Elliss in the seventh round, who was guaranteed a $93,636 signing bonus, though he was later cut from the practice squad and has since bounced around between a few other teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs.
Here are the reported guarantees for each member of the Saints undrafted free agent class. All have a base salary of $610,000, though greater portions of that are guaranteed for some than others. They are ordered by guaranteed salaries, with signing bonuses noted in parentheses:
- LB Joe Bachie, Michigan State: $145,000 guaranteed salary (plus $15,000 signing bonus)
- OL Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon: $110,000 guaranteed salary (plus $12,500 signing bonus)
- DL Malcolm Roach, Texas: $85,000 guaranteed salary (plus $10,000 signing bonus)
- WR Marquez Callaway, Tennessee, $85,000 guaranteed salary (plus $10,000 signing bonus)
- OL Jordan Steckler, Northern Illinois: $75,000 guaranteed salary (plus $15,000 signing bonus)
- WR Juwan Johnson, Oregon: $75,000 guaranteed salary (plus $10,000 signing bonus)
- CB Tino Ellis, Maryland: $17,500 guaranteed
- DE Gus Cumberlander, Oregon: $1,500 signing bonus
- CB Keith Washington Jr., West Virginia: TBD
- P Blake Gillikin, Penn State: TBD
- RB Tony Jones Jr., Notre Dame: TBD
- OL Adrian Magee, LSU: TBD
- OL Darrin Paulo, Utah: TBD
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