- May 21, 2026
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Training camps will be opening soon. Before 2011, that meant most teams engaging in a game of beat the clock with most of their draft picks.
Nowadays, most contracts are signed by Memorial Day weekend.
This year, there are four notable exceptions. They are the first four quarterbacks taken in the draft: Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (first overall), Rams quarterback Ty Simpson (13th overall), Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck (third round, 65th overall), and Steelers quarterback Drew Allar (third round, 76th overall).
There's not much to negotiate. The dollars are set by a formula based on the draft slot. Pressure points in the past have related to signing bonus cash flow, voiding of guarantees, and offsets on guarantees.
Surely, all of the deals will get done. Rookie holdouts are now very rare.
But no deal is done until it's done. And it's getting a little glaring for the first four quarterbacks taken in the draft.
Nowadays, most contracts are signed by Memorial Day weekend.
This year, there are four notable exceptions. They are the first four quarterbacks taken in the draft: Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (first overall), Rams quarterback Ty Simpson (13th overall), Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck (third round, 65th overall), and Steelers quarterback Drew Allar (third round, 76th overall).
There's not much to negotiate. The dollars are set by a formula based on the draft slot. Pressure points in the past have related to signing bonus cash flow, voiding of guarantees, and offsets on guarantees.
Surely, all of the deals will get done. Rookie holdouts are now very rare.
But no deal is done until it's done. And it's getting a little glaring for the first four quarterbacks taken in the draft.