Why 30 of the 32 NFL second-round draft picks are still unsigned

Beware: winter is coming, and the Unsigned are massing like the Unsullied. As NFL teams prepare to kick off their respective training camps before the end of the month, 30 of the league’s 32 second-round draft picks still remain without contracts.

It’s all because of the *Cajun voice* gar-on-tees

The only two second-rounders that have inked deals so far are the #1 pick of the round, LB Carson Schwesinger (with the Browns), and the #2 pick of the round, WR Jayden Higgins (Texans).

Both of their contracts are fully-guaranteed, a first for second-round picks in the latest collective bargaining agreement—which put rigid financial guidelines in place around each draft slot, but left guaranteed money up for negotiation.

The push and pull: Since the league‘s average career lasts about as long as a phone battery, second-round holdouts are using these two examples as an opportunity to push for more money effectively up front, while owners are trying to resist paying those who likely won’t stick around. Only ~64% of NFL second-round draft picks stay with a team through the length of their initial contract, according to data from Over The Cap.

It’s not just rookies…NFL veteran contract guarantees have also been a hot topic, like that store at the mall we all make fun of but secretly love. A report published in June claims that the league encouraged teams to reduce the guaranteed dollars in veteran contracts, citing an independent arbitrator’s findings.

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