For much of the past few years, contracts for NFL draft picks have largely been formalities. The most recent CBA between the league and the NFLPA effectively eliminated negotiations and holdouts with standardized slotting for each draft spot.
That seems to be changing in 2023 with the second-round picks in the draft class. Two second-round rookies are pushing the envelope with their first contracts.
Seattle’s Derick Hall, the No. 37 overall pick, was the first to push for more than the recent standards. Hall and the Seahawks agreed to a deal that pays the pass rusher from Auburn a higher percentage of his signing bonus (85 percent) before training camp. They also agreed that Hall would get a small portion of his fourth year fully guaranteed. It’s only $100,000 but that’s $100,000 more than is typically guaranteed in the final year of the rookie deal for players selected after the first round.
Detroit’s top second-round pick, Iowa TE Sam LaPorta, followed suit. LaPorta signed his rookie deal on Thursday, and it includes an even higher percentage of fourth-year guaranteed money. LaPorta bagged 20 percent of his final year in guarantees. That ups the ante from Hall and Rams guard Steve Avila, who netted a 15 percent fourth-year guarantee as the No. 36 overall pick. Avila, from TCU, also had his first three seasons fully guaranteed by the Rams.
It’s a sign of agents finding ways to get their players more compensation within the framework of the rookie wage scale. The teams, at least a few of them, seem willing to play along.