The Green Bay Packers have yet to begin contract talks with first-round picks B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews, but the process of signing their eight-man draft class is under way.
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The team on Tuesday announced the signings of end Jarius Wynn, cornerback Brandon Underwood and outside linebacker Brad Jones, its bottom three selections in Aprils NFL draft.
The Packers did not announce terms, but all three players are believed to have signed four-year deals with minimum base salaries. According to NFL sources, Wynn (sixth round, 182nd overall) received a signing bonus of between $105,000 and $110,000, while Underwood (sixth, 187th) received a signing bonus of $102,200. Jones (seventh, 218th) is believed to have signed for around $60,000.
Next come negotiations with mid-round picks T.J. Lang, Quinn Johnson and Jamon Meredith. Then, Packers negotiator Russ Ball will focus on his toughest task: getting Raji and Matthews under contract before training camp begins on Aug. 1.
Between them, Raji and Matthews stand to receive well more than $20 million in guarantees and eat up a large chunk of the $5,443,396 the NFL has allotted the Packers for signing rookies.
Two of General Manager Ted Thompsons previous three first-round picks, quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2005 and linebacker A.J. Hawk in 2006, missed a day of full-squad workouts while waiting for their contracts to be finalized. But Thompson said on Tuesday he is optimistic Raji and Matthews will be in camp on time.
Theyre a little bit more complicated first-round picks tend to take a little bit more time, Thompson said in a phone call before the three signings were announced.
But I dont know that its over and above challenging. Last year, we had three twos (second-round picks) as opposed to two ones this year. I think its a horse apiece. The agents negotiate for the player, and we negotiate for the club, and we normally find a happy meeting ground.
Raji and Matthews have the same agent, Dave Dunn of Athletes First, who said in an e-mail on Tuesday talks have not begun. Thats no surprise, since most teams negotiate with lower-round selections first and top picks commonly sign just before training camp begins, if not after.
As of early Tuesday evening, the only first-round picks who had signed were quarterbacks Matthew Stafford the No. 1 overall pick who received $41.7 million guaranteed on a six-year deal before the draft and Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets (No. 5, five years, $60 million, $28 million guaranteed).
All of the Packers draft picks the past two years have been in camp before the first practice. Defensive tackle Justin Harrell signed on the eve of camp in 2007, and the Packers didnt have a first-round selection last year, when quarterback Brian Brohm was the last player to sign.
We work at it, Thompson said of getting deals done on time. Our philosophy is were not going to try to win any of the deals we just want to be fair and show its fair for both sides.
Raji, the Boston College nose tackle drafted ninth overall, is in line for one of the richest rookie contracts in Packers history. Last years No. 9 pick, linebacker Keith Rivers, signed with the Cincinnati Bengals for six years and $23 million, with $15.6 million guaranteed. Thats roughly the same amount of guarantees Hawk, who was drafted fifth overall, received on his record six-year, $35 million deal in July 2006.
Matthews, the outside linebacker out of Southern California, was the 26th overall pick. The player taken in that slot last year, tackle Duane Brown, received a five-year, $9.1 million deal from the Houston Texans that included $6.2 million in guarantees.
Though players drafted in the top half of the first round are eligible for six-year deals, all but four of last years top 16 picks signed five-year pacts. Players drafted between picks 17 and 32 are eligible for five-year deals, while all other drafted players sign for four years or less.
The Packers entering player pool is their largest since 2006, when they had an NFL-high $6.647 million to sign 12 draft picks, including Hawk. Intended to slot signings based on draft position, a teams pool number must fit all salaries for drafted rookies, as well as prorated signing bonuses for drafted and undrafted rookies. It can be more complicated with first-round picks, who often receive initial signing bonuses, too.
However, many teams work around the limit with escalators, option bonuses due at the end of a players first year and one-time incentives. Hawk, for instance, received a guaranteed option bonus worth $11,856,250 after his rookie season.
One complicating factor Ball must deal with this year is the accounting changes brought on by the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, which will lead to a 2010 season without a salary cap if a new deal isnt struck by the start of the next league year. The Packers have contingency plans in place for both scenarios, but Thompson acknowledged the uncertainty poses challenges.
People like, in my position, we like to know things in concrete, and thats not concrete, Thompson said. Thats always a question mark out there.
Etc.: The Packers announced two other roster moves. They released first-year cornerback Joshua Abrams and signed tight end Devin Frischknecht, a 6-foot-3, 258-pound rookie from Washington State.