NFL Signing Season is About to Meet the Deadline

ally@instantactionsports.com (Ally White) — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:37:36 GMT

by Ally White
Tuesday, July 18, 2006

If we compare the NFL regular season with a marathon, then the league's signing season for draft choices is more like a sprint. And with all the NFL franchises scheduled to report to training camp by the end of the month, this is the time when the team negotiators and the agents for nearly 200 unsigned draft choices are expected to come out.

There is a lot of work to be done, and it always seems to get done, in most cases. Then again, some teams haven't advanced. Exactly half of the NFL's 32 franchises have yet to agree to terms with a single draft choice.

As of Monday July 17th, only 58 of the 255 prospects selected in the 2006 draft had agreed to their contracts. And of that group with completed deals, 33 were in the sixth and seventh rounds.

Like it happens every year, tardiness in reporting to camp is a common theme in the first round and I wouldn't be surprised if it happens again this summer. One of the issued that could be holding the signing up is that players that are selected in the top half of the first round can sign a contract with a maximum term of six years, while those chosen in the bottom half of the first round have maximum terms of five seasons.

A lot of players in the top half of the round rather take the shorter, five year contract, while the teams that chose them want them to sign six-year contracts. Obviously for any NFL player a six year contract at that age means a lot of commitment to a team that might or might not work out, he might as well be signing a six year contract on the bench or for a team where he will have little exposure. Some might think the difference between a six year term of a five year term is not much but for young rookies it means a lot.

About the Author

Ally White is a top senior copy writer on sportsbook action for http://www.instantactionsports.com. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.

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