The 2024 draft class is almost complete, with only a few unsigned players remaining. Most of the picks have already signed their contracts, but there are still five players who have yet to do so. These include Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (No. 1), Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (No. 10), edge rusher Dallas Turner (No. 17), Bengals tackle Amarius Mims (No. 18), and receiver Rome Odunze (No. 9).
Despite the limitations imposed by the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, there are still three main categories that can be negotiated between players and teams: signing bonus cash flow, voiding of guarantees, and guarantee offsets. These discussions will determine how much of the signing bonus is paid upfront and how much is deferred for a later date, what it would take for a team to wipe out remaining guarantees, and whether guaranteed money is reduced if a player is released and earns money elsewhere, respectively.
At this stage, there is no reason for any of the draft picks to not be signed. Players should protect themselves from injury risks by ensuring they have their deals in place before participating in any offseason activities. Many teams are getting their deals done quickly to provide players with full and complete four-year protection.
It remains to be seen what will happen with these unsigned picks, but one thing is certain – they will all have fully guaranteed four-year deals with dollar values based on their selection number.