Despite a rookie wage scale established in 2011, most contracts for players taken in Round 2 this past April remain up in the air.
An interesting situation has developed this offseason based around the 2025 NFL Draft. As of June 23, 2025, 36 rookies have yet to sign their first contracts. Of that number, 30 were selected in Round 2.
Among those names is Buffalo Bills rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders. Taken with pick 41, Sanders is the only player yet to ink his deal with One Bills Drive. So what gives, and why are so many second rounders unsigned even though almost every aspect of a rookie contract isn’t negotiable?
The answer is, of course, a tad nuanced, but one agent who represents NFL talent explained the crux of the holdup is about guaranteed money. While each contract has a minimum (floor) and maximum (ceiling) value based on when a person is picked, quarterback Tyler Shough (pick 40 of Round 2) has manufactured a ton of signing chaos due to a very specific circumstance.
In an article tackling the Round 2 contract conundrum, Joel Corry with CBS Sports writes that:
“According to sources, Shough is insisting on a fully guaranteed contract since he is expecting to be the New Orleans Saints’ starting quarterback for the 2025 regular-season opener with Derek Carr recently retiring.”
That’s great for the relatively unknown Shough, a seven-season collegiate journeyman who’s set to turn 26 in September. His position is held to a different standard than any other in professional sports — afforded luxuries that Corry touches on, such as:
“Occasionally, quarterbacks are able to extract structural concessions from teams that players at other positions can’t.”
Adding to the drama is the fact that Shough was the only quarterback selected in Round 2. Shough’s bet on himself that QB1 is his job to lose is altogether different from any other position where a rookie believes the same of themself. As such, it really shouldn’t hold up the rest of the class from signing their deals. Yet here we are as agents representing clients selected before and after Shough are trying to avoid contract impropriety.
Per Corry, five players selected before Shough (Picks 35 through 39) and their agents are holding out to see how Shough’s contract affects their signings. Shough’s demands have created a domino effect with players and agents wanting every bit of value possible borne from the outcome of pick 40. Some ahead of him may expect better than Shough receives.
Corry also explains news that may come as a surprise to fans and those less informed about the inner workings of the NFL and NFL Draft, pointing out that:
“[T]he NFLPA [keeps] the agents abreast of key developments in a draft round that could potentially impact the players they represent. The same type of coordination by NFL teams is collusion, which is prohibited by the [collective bargaining agreement] CBA.”
Coincidentally, T.J. Sanders was picked by the Bills right after the Saints selected Tyler Shough. Being drafted at 41 by Buffalo means Sanders’ contract could also be impacted by Shough’s deal, even if the two couldn’t be much further apart as players. Though not expressly mentioned by Corry, Sanders’ camp could look to leverage “benefit from a trickle-down effect for any headway [Shough] makes with his fourth-year guarantee.”
What this all means is that you should temper your expectations for how and when each of the remaining 30 unsigned second-round rookies sign their first NFL contract. That said, if Shough drags things out into training camp, it’s likely the bulk of unsigned rookies before and after him find reason to put pen to paper.
You can dive more in-depth into the situation by reading Joel Corry’s article with CBS Sports. How does this news leave you feeling about this year’s second rounders, NFL rookie contracts, the CBA, and T.J. Sanders’ contract prospects ahead of training camp?