Early Signings

I love these days of the early and quick signings of draft picks. It might be the second best outcome of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The first being the more reasonable contracts for players that have yet to take an NFL snap. Those more reasonable rookie contracts make for easier signings. This might be the fourth year of draft signings under the new CBA but we're seeing the best results now. The Cincinnati Bengals waited until this week to start signing their draft picks. It's two weeks since the draft and it's considered waiting. A wait used to be two months. Nice. The Chicago Bears signed their entire draft class in four days. Stunning work. The usually late-starting Minnesota Vikings have been on a rampage. They have already signed nine of their ten picks. Only third round pick Georgia Southern running back Jerrick McKinnon is unsigned. The Vikings even have both first round picks signed. That's inconceivable! The Vikings signed #9 pick UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr and #32 pick Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. I was shocked when I heard the news. Shocked! The entire league has gotten off to a nice, efficient start. More than half of the 2014 draft picks have already signed. These early signings shouldn't be surprising as the CBA pretty much scripts the parameters of the deals. The signings should be easy.

Of course, the most challenging and usually last to sign are the first round picks. Eight from the first round have signed their rookie deals. Barr and Bridgewater from the Vikings. The Oakland Raiders have signed #5 pick Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack. The Atlanta Falcons have signed #6 pick Texas A&M tackle Jake Matthews. The New York Giants have signed #12 pick LSU receiver Odell Beckham Jr.The Chicago Bears have signed #14 pick Virginia Tech corner Kyle Fuller. The New Orleans Saints have signed #20 pick Oregon St. receiver Brandin Cooks. The San Francisco 49ers were the last team to jump into the first-round signing ring. They signed #30 pick Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward. In the pre-current CBA days, it would be unusual to see first round draft picks signed before July. Frighteningly close to the start of training camp. Worst of all, we'd see holdouts. Perhaps the most stupid act in all of football is a holdout. No one wins. Hopefully, we have seen the last of the holdouts. The many month agony of the CBA negotiations might have been a nightmare back in 2011 but the draft pick signing outcome has been a real delight.