Field Gulls
There are still 30 unsigned second-round draft picks with training camp fast approaching.
We’re less than two weeks away from the Seattle Seahawks kicking off their training camp, and like nearly the whole of the NFL, the wait continues as far as signing second-round draft picks to their rookie contracts.
For the Seahawks’ 2025 draft class, only Nick Emmanwori and Elijah Arroyo remain unsigned. While we’re assuming their contracts are formalities, it seems like it’s a waiting game to see who will make the first move to follow in the footsteps of the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns, who fully guaranteed the respective contracts of Jayden Higgins and Carson Schwesinger. They’re the first second-rounders in NFL history to receive fully guaranteed rookie contracts, and they’re similarly the only ones who’ve put pen to paper this offseason.
The latest update to this story is our first holdout. Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tre Harris, taken No. 55 overall, is not reporting to training camp, which is earlier for the Chargers due to their participation in the Hall of Fame Game.
The Seahawks could, and I stress could, be the team to create a domino effect. Nick Emmanwori is the highest unsigned pick left in the draft at No. 35 overall. If/when he signs his contract, the terms of that deal may affect how the rest of the league handles their second-rounders. Another name to keep an eye on is the New Orleans Saints’ Tyler Shough (No. 40 overall), the only second-round quarterback in this year’s class.
Rookie contract values are set in stone under the CBA’s rookie wage scale, so that’s not the issue here. The wiggle room for negotiation is in the guarantees, as Seahawks fans are aware of when Devon Witherspoon had the brief issue over the payment schedule of his signing bonus back in 2023.
Whatever the case, there’s no reason to panic if only because it’d look patently ridiculous to have 30 holdouts entering training camp. We’re all just waiting while the NFL plays the waiting game. I suppose we’ll find out pretty soon if the Browns and Texans have set a new standard in terms of rookie contract guarantees extending another round.
