GREEN BAY — Ten years ago, Nick Barnett stood at a gas station across the street from Clarke Hinkle Field and watched the first practice of training camp.
Datone Jones avoided the same fate Wednesday evening, coming to terms on a deal that will have the Green Bay Packers' first-round pick in the fold in time for the team's first practice on Friday morning.
An NFL source confirmed Wednesday evening what Mike Garafolo of FOXSports.com first reported, that Jones and the Packers had reached a deal. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and others reported that the deal is for four years and $7.71 million, including $6.25 million in guarantees. Jones received a signing bonus of just under $4 million, according to Silverstein.
Jones was the last Packers draft pick to come to terms. Players are slated to report at 6 a.m. for physicals on Thursday. Jones, who celebrated his 23rd birthday Wednesday, confirmed that the deal was done via his Twitter account:
Jones, the 26th pick overall, received a deal comparable to those deals signed around him. Indianapolis defensive end Bjoern Werner, the 24th pick, received a four-year, $7.896 million deal, while Houston wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins signed for four years and $7.62 million. As of Wednesday evening, the 23rd pick (Minnesota defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd), the 25th pick (Minnesota cornerback Xavier Rhodes), the 28th pick (Denver defensive tackle Sylvester Williams) and the 29th pick (Minnesota wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson) were still unsigned.
Had Jones missed the first practice, he would have been the first Packers first-round draft pick to miss the start of camp since No. 9 overall pick B.J. Raji in 2009. Raji missed the first two weeks of practice because of a logjam of unfinished contracts around him in the draft that year.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers also missed the first week of camp in 2005, and Ahmad Carroll missed the first practice in 2004 (but signed in time to participate in the afternoon session). Barnett only missed that one practice that he watched from the Express station; he signed a deal that night and was in uniform the next day.
The Packers' last three first-round picks (Bryan Bulaga, Derek Sherrod and Nick Perry) all had their deals done in time for the start of camp.
Jason Wilde wrote: