trade news : according to espn chicago bears have officially traded for tennesee vols star receiver, sign a………….
Most of the 2024 draft class has signed, but the biggest group of unsigned picks is in the first round. Five players remain unsigned, representing three teams:
1. **Chicago Bears:**
– Quarterback Caleb Williams (No. 1 overall)
– Receiver Rome Odunze (No. 9 overall)
2. **Minnesota Vikings:**
– Quarterback J.J. McCarthy (No. 10 overall)
– Edge rusher Dallas Turner (No. 17 overall)
3. **Cincinnati Bengals:**
– Tackle Amarius Mims (No. 18 overall)
All five players are set to receive fully-guaranteed four-year deals with the dollar value determined by their draft positions. Despite the 2011 CBA significantly reducing the areas for negotiation, there are still three main categories open for discussion.
While the 2011 CBA has limited the topics for negotiation, there are still three main categories causing delays in signing first-round picks:
1. **Signing Bonus Cash Flow:**
– **Players’ Perspective:** They prefer to receive the signing bonus immediately.
– **Teams’ Perspective:** They might try to defer portions of the bonus, potentially over a year or longer.
2. **Voiding of Guarantees:**
– **Players’ Perspective:** They want to restrict the conditions under which teams can void guaranteed money, ensuring more security.
– **Teams’ Perspective:** They seek flexibility to void guarantees, especially in cases of suspensions or other infractions, to avoid being stuck with a bad deal.
3. **Guarantee Offsets:**
– **Players’ Perspective:** They want the ability to receive full guaranteed money even if they earn a salary elsewhere after being released.
– **Teams’ Perspective:** They prefer to offset the guaranteed money by the amount a player earns with a new team, avoiding double payments.
Despite these negotiation points, there’s little reason for these first-round picks to remain unsigned. It’s in the players’ best interest to finalize their contracts before participating in the offseason program to ensure full protection against potential injuries. Increasingly, teams are expediting deals to provide players with the security of their four-year contracts without delay.
