30 of 32 second round picks unsigned including Bills pick TJ Sanders

[Thrivefourfive]

13 hours ago, Brand J said:

2nd round picks aren’t really in danger of getting cut, or asked to take pay cuts, so I don’t see the issue with guaranteed money. As long as they’re healthy they’ll get all that they sign for anyway.

Exactly. Just sign them. Something went wrong here and this is stupid. Sign and figure it out next draft or whatever. What’s the end game here.. hold outs and then signing for guaranteed money anyways. Collusion is the only way the teams get what they want contract wise m, at the cost of their second best draftee missing camp/pre season time. 

[buffaloaggie]

1 hour ago, Dafan said:

Maybe I'm a minority, but I don't think they should get fully guaranteed contracts.  None of these players have shown they can contribute anything on the field.  Id rather give a vet that has shown what they can, a guaranteed contract.  

Just looking at the 2021 2nd rounders, 3 have been named all-pro, and I'd say 90-95% are still on an active roster, not necessarily with the original team. I have no problem giving them up to 95% or so guaranteed, so Sanders should be slotted getting just above 90% IMO.

[richNjoisy]

2nd round signings rolling in now.  's 43, 56, 59, 60, and 62

[Kirby Jackson]

I think Sanders ends up being an important player for this team. He is a guy that scouts and “football people” liked more than talking heads. This contract should help get him into camp. Guarantee him 90% and let’s go.

[billsfan89]

16 hours ago, NoSaint said:

you could say this about any term. Unless you dictate the rookie contract template, it is what it is. 
 

 

 

I think the rookie template needs to be very "plug and play" or else what is the point of it? 

[TFBillsfan]

Hopefully with the 43rd pick signing, Sanders signs tomorrow. 

[Draconator]

 

[sven233]

Officially official.....

 

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

And now the Bills have reached agreement with their second-round pick, defensive tackle TJ Sanders, on a four-year, $10.645 million deal that has $10.073 million of it guaranteed, per agents Robert Bailey and Drew Rosenhaus.

[Sierra Foothills]

On 7/16/2025 at 7:02 PM, Big Turk said:

Now THIS would also be a form of collusion where the agents for all 2nd round picks got together and decided none of them would sign until someone got fully guaranteed money and then they all would try and follow suit.

 

It's only collusion if a critical mass of the agents spoke with each other and agreed to a course of action (or in this case, non-action).

 

The landscape was so obvious that no communication was necessary.

 

The problem created by the first few 2nd round signings was an obvious signal to the players and agents to play the waiting game in order to exert pressure on the clubs.

 

On 7/16/2025 at 9:21 PM, hjnick said:

What's the hit rate of drafting "good" players in the first and second rounds?  Isn't the first round around 60% and the second round 40%?

 

I could see why the owners don't want to guarantee 2nd round pick players contracts if the hit rate for the second round is 40% (if this is correct)

 

Remember, over 4 years, you normally have 4 second rounders on your team, so that's 40Mil in contract guarantees to worry about.  

 

The owners don't want to give up anything but if they do, it'll be over their dead (or dying) fingers. As I posted in another topic, a higher percentage of NFL contracts are guaranteed every year. This is incrementalism at work. Some day, the NFL will not be the only major North American sports league without guaranteed contracts for all players.

 

As to your point, there's a salary cap... whatever more it costs to pay 2nd rounders will simply come out of some other player's pocket.

 

23 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

I find this interesting. It’s a huge game of chicken, not all that unlike back in the day when hold outs were relatively common place. The league, and the fans, thought they’d moved past all that with the new rookie pay scale. It appears those days are over. The Agents have apparently found what they believe is their new golden goose. We’ll see how it plays out. 

 

I don't think golden goose is an accurate characterization. This is one of a few existing unresolved areas of the CBA with regards to rookie contracts and like rainwater finding a weakness in the roof, it was inevitably going to be tapped for that extra bit of money that it changes in each contract. This is not a windfall development. It's incremental.

 

22 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

Yup.

 

Plus once you guarantee it all for 2nd rounders, guess who starts not signing next?

 

Exactly. The percentage of fully-guaranteed contracts in the NFL will continue to increase as it has over the last several years.

 

Considering NFL players have the shortest careers, the largest chance at catastrophic injury, and the largest chance at post-career medical disabilities, their contracts should be fully-guaranteed.

 

13 hours ago, NewEra said:

88% guaranteed for Collins.  Beane should start at 89% and possibly move to 90-91%.  Shouldn’t be long now

 

 

1 hour ago, sven233 said:

Officially official.....

 

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

And now the Bills have reached agreement with their second-round pick, defensive tackle TJ Sanders, on a four-year, $10.645 million deal that has $10.073 million of it guaranteed, per agents Robert Bailey and Drew Rosenhaus.

 

Sanders' contract ends up being 94.63% guaranteed.

 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if at this time next year, all 2nd rounders will have fully guaranteed contracts and as @Thurman#1 implies, the next battleground will be the 3rd rounders.

 

Edited July 18 by Sierra Foothills

[Steve Billieve]

On 7/17/2025 at 10:29 AM, blitzboy54 said:

Carry that Billionaire water man. Carry it. 

 

It has no affect on the owners, the only people it affects are other players.

[benderbender]

These 2nd rounders should at least thank the Cleveland Browns for signing Deshaun Watson. Factory of gladness?

[machine gun kelly]

This was so much of a big “so what”.  They’ve been dropping like flies all week.  Basically this was a debate over the last Million $ of a contract.  Most rookies signed with 85-90% guaranteed.  So many people became wrapped around the. Axle this week, and it is resolving itself prior to the start of camp.

[Don Otreply]

Yup much ado about nothing, typical off season manufactured drama, 

Edited July 20 by Don Otreply