The 2024 NFL Draft has been history for more than two months. But five first-round picks still haven’t signed with their new team. Why is that?

Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, J.J. McCarthy, Dallas Turner and Amarius Mims – these players are not only united by the fact that they were selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

No, they also have another thing in common. As of early July, neither Bears rookies Odunze and Williams nor McCarthy, Turner (both Vikings) and Mims (Bengals) have signed their contracts.

This is nothing unusual at first; it is quite common for teams and players to take their time. But why?

This is mainly due to certain contract clauses that have to be agreed upon in negotiations. While the salary is determined by the draft position, certain modalities are freely negotiable. “NBC” has listed three factors.

These include, for example, the payment of the signing bonus. Teams tend to want to pay as little as possible right at signing, while rookies would naturally prefer a large sum right at the start.

NFL: Five rookies still without a signed contract

What happens in the event of a suspension – for example, if a player is suspended for an action in a game – is another issue. If contractually agreed, this can lead to the cancellation of guaranteed money in some cases. Players want to prevent this

Clauses on offsetting guarantees can also delay the signing. If a player is released and signed by another franchise, does he collect twice? Or does the new team take on part of the money and the old team has to pay the player less?

However, all teams and players should have come to an agreement by September 6 at the latest. That’s when the new season kicks off with the clash between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs.