The Round 2 log-jam for 2025 NFL Draft picks has finally cleared
The long list of 2025 NFL Draft second-round holdouts is finally starting to ease up, and the Buffalo Bills are amongst the latest to get it done.
On a busy day for contract negotiations, six second-round picks, including the 41st overall selection, Bills’ defensive tackle T.J. Sanders, officially signed their rookie deals late on Friday, July 17. It feels like the holdouts have finally hit a turning point after a long and tense stretch, largely centered around guaranteed money. With yesterday’s signings, the league is now up to a total of 12 second-round picks to have signed their rookie deals.
How much will Bills DT T.J. Sanders make on his rookie deal?
The Bills, who traded up 15 spots to land Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft, announced Thursday night, that they’ve officially signed him to a four-year, $10.645 million rookie contract, including $10.073 million guaranteed. What does this all mean for the future of the NFL Draft?
A new NFL trend?
Financial friction began this offseason when the Houston Texans made a decision to fully guarantee the rookie contract of the first pick of the second-round, wide receiver Jayden Higgins — the 33rd overall pick. That seemingly created a precedent that dominoed league-wide, with most second-round picks and their agents pushing for similarly structured contracts.
Traditionally, second-round picks receive partial guarantees, unlike that of the fully guaranteed first-round picks. But with Higgins’ deal setting a new bar, second rounders across the league took notice.
Contract talks stalled for weeks, with players like Sanders still unsigned until yesterday. But with training camps just around the corner, a sense of urgency since kicked in. Yesterday’s six signings suggest a trickle-down effect may be underway, with more second rounders expected to finalize deals in the coming days.
But still, don’t be surprised if the second-round drama this year becomes part of a larger league-wide trend. As more second-round picks fight for full guarantees, the structure of rookie deals may look very different very soon.
All systems go for training camp at St. John Fisher University
The Bills made sure Sanders will be ready to roll on Day 1 of training camp. With his deal now complete, the Bills will report to St. John Fisher University on July 22 with their entire rookie class signed and accounted for.
With Sanders under contract and the rest of the 2025 draft class signed, the Bills will report to camp with the only potential contractual distraction being that of running back James Cook. For the Bills, it’s all systems go. With T.J. Sanders officially on board, Buffalo can now turn its full attention to camp.