With NFL training camps opening, 30 second-rounders still haven't signed with their teams
- - - With NFL training camps opening, 30 second-rounders still haven't signed with their teams
Andy BackstromJuly 13, 2025 at 2:25 AM
The Cincinnati Bengals' standoff with this year's No. 17 overall pick, former Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart, is well documented. A dispute over contract language regarding the voiding of his salary guarantees took center stage last month while Stewart sat out and then left Bengals mandatory minicamp.
He's not the only recent draftee with a contract hang-up. Notably, there are 30 second-rounders still unsigned by their respective teams, including Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tre Harris, an Ole Miss product who's due to report to training camp Saturday with other Chargers rookies in El Segundo, California.
Harris' team told Front Office Sports that their negotiations continue with the Chargers, and that the wideout won't report to camp until he has signed a deal.
The second-round-wide signing delay resulted after the first two players taken in the second round received unprecedented, fully-guaranteed contracts in May.
The Houston Texans turned heads by giving former Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins — the second pick of this year's second round — a fully guaranteed deal. On the eve of Texans minicamp, Higgins became the first second-round pick in NFL history to sign a fully guaranteed rookie contract.
The next day, UCLA-turned-Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger got the same kind of contract. Schwesinger was the first pick of the second round.
In the two-plus months since, the 30 other second-round picks haven't budged, reportedly searching for fully guaranteed compensation as well.
CBS Sports reported last month that the No. 40 overall pick, quarterback Tyler Shough, and his representation have also played a role in second-round signings coming to a screeching halt. At the time, CBS Sports reported that Shough — a 25-year-old prospect who landed with the New Orleans Saints — was pushing for a fully-guaranteed rookie deal, in part because he's in line to start for the Saints following the surprise retirement of veteran Derek Carr.
The Chargers' rookie report date has already arrived. Others are fast approaching. Rookies on the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are supposed to report Tuesday. By July 23, all NFL players are expected in training camp.
Thanks to the 2011 collective bargaining agreement instituting the rookie wage scale, rookie holdouts are rare nowadays, but they're not unheard of. Defensive end Joey Bosa and linebacker Roquan Smith both took that route after they were drafted in 2016 and 2018, respectively, and their contract negotiations bled into training camp.
Source: AOL Sports
