When it comes to signing rookies to their first contracts, the NFL and NFLPA have made it easier thanks to the rookie wage scale which pays players based on where they were drafted. There are intricacies that can still be negotiated, but for the most part, the base structure of the deal is already set.
For Braden Fiske, he’s getting more guaranteed money than most second-round picks do. According to Aaron Wilson, Fiske has agreed to his rookie contract and it comes with three years fully guaranteed. As an added bonus, he’s also getting 15% of his salary guaranteed in Year 4, which wasn’t the case for the 39th overall pick last year, Jonathan Mingo of the Panthers.
As noted by Wilson, Fiske “sets a strong precedent in the draft contract market” because of how much guaranteed money he got for a second-round pick. In total, the four-year deal has a value of $9.4 million with $7.6 million fully guaranteed at signing – almost half of which is in the form of a signing bonus ($3.7 million).
#Rams rookie and 39th overall pick Braden Fiske agreed to four year contract $9.410,122 deal with $3,663,724 signing bonus, $7,643,653 fully guaranteed at signing. First three years fully guaranteed, gets 15% of his year four salary fully guaranteed. No guarantees in year four…
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) May 10, 2024
The Rams used a similar structure last year when they signed Steve Avila to his rookie contract as a second-round pick. Avila got three years fully guaranteed and 10% guaranteed in his fourth year, so Fiske got an even larger percentage despite being taken three picks later.
Fiske is the first Rams rookie to agree to his contract this year.