The Lonely Two

Training camps will be open all across the NFL by the end of the week. It wasn't too long ago that teams would still be scrambling to get all of their draft picks signed and in camp. Some of the top picks would even be getting comfortable as they settle in for a long holdout. It was a mess. The rookie contracts were out of control. As the money involved increased, the holdouts became a matter of routine. The CBA of 2011 changed all of that. The crazy rookie contracts were reeled in and the holdouts decreased. All of the contracts were basically scripted. There was really nothing to negotiate. It took a few years for all of the parties to understand this new world but it all seemed quite nice. This year was the best. Some teams had all of their draft picks signed before May came to close. It took less than a month for most teams. The Chicago Bears took about a week. The St. Louis Rams didn't appear to do anything for the first month after the draft. Then they signed all of their picks in one day. It was wonderful.

With the set rookie contract parameters there really is very little for the agents and teams to negotiate. So, why are there still two draft picks unsigned? The Cleveland Browns selected Oklahoma St. corner Justin Gilbert with the eighth pick in the draft. He's still unsigned. The Tennessee Titans selected Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan with the eleventh pick of the draft. He's also unsigned. Gilbert says that he doesn't know if he'll sign before the start of training camp. He doesn't sounds too concerned about it. Lewan and the Titans are believed to be at odds over roster bonuses. There's so little to negotiate that it makes no sense that the parties can't come to an agreement. All of the players drafted before them and all of the players drafted after them have been signed and are ready for camp. Most have been signed and ready to go for over a month. The agents of Gilbert and Lewan must have nothing better to do. They certainly aren't doing their clients any favors.