In it's first shot, he new CBA has brought about a remarkable change in the signing of rookies. The first to sign was Chicago Bears second round pick, South Carolina receiver Alshon Jeffery. He signed just days after the draft. The New York Jets signed Georgia Tech receiver Stephen Hill soon after. The Bears expect to sign the rest of their picks at such a clip that senior director of football administration Cliff Stein has set mid-May as his target date for having all six picks signed. A feat already completed by the Carolina Panthers. The Washington Redskins San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks and others are on a similar rapid pace with most of their players signed. Incredible. Mid-May might have been the earliest that you'd see a pick sign in the old days, two years ago. I remember being stunned in 2004 when I saw that the Vikings had signed fourth round pick Mewelde Moore just weeks after the draft. Typically, teams wouldn't even start negotiating with their picks until July. The new CBA has changed all of that. The salaries are essentially determined before the agents of the players pick up a phone or enter a room. It's a great new day. Holdouts benefit no one. They only cause harm and I've never understood it even being an option. If nothing else came out of the lockout mess, the rookie salary scale was a great one.
I'd sure like to see the Minnesota Vikings jump into the signing party.
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