John Clayton's July 9th blog ( http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=clayton_john) about the state of pre-camp signings portends more possible trouble for the Falcons organization leading into training camp on July 25. Clayton explains that agents trying to get pre-camp signings for first and second round draft picks have encountered what the military calls a snafu. Without getting too down and dirty, the sticking point in contract talks regards a rule that regulates increases in rookie salaries to 25 per cent, annually. Agents have made a practice exploiting a loophole in this rule that allows bonus money to be guaranteed for the final year of a contract in a lump sum. This protects players who bust out of the NFL before their contract expires and helps players who outperform the built-in strictures of their contracts. However, with the CBA ending in 2011, first and second round picks--who typically sign contracts of four, five, or six years--can't be guaranteed any money because there is no framework in place to do so. The bottom line: we're at an impasse.
Continue reading "Unsigned Picks in Unsettling Circumstances"
