Clayton: Economics made it predictable that rookies would be at OTAs
May 18, 2021, 3:11 PM
It shouldn’t be a surprise that NFL rookies decided to not listen to the NFLPA. It was predictable.
The union advised all rookies to boycott OTAs. No one listened.
League-wide, rookies have been in camp from the beginning. It makes great football sense.
Too many of the rookies didn’t have full college seasons in 2020. There were opt-outs, who haven’t played since 2019. They needed to learn in Zoom meetings and with on-field coaching. Without that coaching, rookies will struggle to complete in training camp.
But economics also was a factor. By mid-week, more than half of the 259 draft choices will have signed their rookie contracts. The pace of signings has been amazing. Five first-rounders have deals, including Jaylen Waddle, the sixth pick in the draft. If you remember the 1970s and 1980s, more than 100 players waited until close to training camps before reaching deals. Holdouts were plentiful.
Now, it’s too simple to just take a deal. There is slotting for each of the 259 picks. Of the first 125 agreements, none beat the slotted amount.
That’s why the Washington Football Team and Kansas City Chiefs easily signed all of their draft choices. The Green Bay Packers signed the eighth of their nine picks on Tuesday.
The Broncos have five of their 10 draft choices signed. The deals were simple.
Every draft choice get a $660,000 base. Then, they get an allocation on top of that, which is based on where they were picked.
Fifth-round pick Caden Sterns had a fifth-round allocation of $742,546. He signed a $82,546 signing bonus, along with the $660,000 base. Fifth-round pick Jamar Johnson’s allocation was $737,556. He got a $77,556 signing bonus. Sixth-round pick Seth William had a $692,676 allocation. His signing bonus was $32,767. Seventh-rounder Kary Vincent signed for a $25,853 signing bonus off a $685,853 allocation. Seventh-round pick Marquiss Spencer had a $680,349 allocation. His signing bonus was $20,349.
What about the five unsigned choices? Patrick Surtain will get a $3,151,417 signing bonus. Javonte Williams is slated for $951,955. Quinn Meinderz and Baron Browning will get $210,154. And Jonathan Cooper is slotted at $20,349.
The signing are too predictable to pass. Take the money and learn.
