Up until Wednesday night, only 2 of the NFL’s 32 second-round rookies had signed contracts with their teams, due to the changing market in guarantees. While rookie contracts operate under a wage scale based on draft position, per the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, that only legislates the overall money in the deal. Other aspects of contracts, like how much is guaranteed or the types of clauses in these deals, are still fully up for negotiation.
Shortly after the draft, the top two picks in the second round, Cleveland linebacker Carson Schwesigner and Houston receiver Jayden Higgins, signed fully guaranteed contracts with their teams — the first of their kind for NFL second-round picks.