Contract negotiations for one Minnesota Vikings NFL Draft pick just got more complicated
The Minnesota Vikings have eight of their nine NFL Draft picks signed, but the final one could prove difficult.
The Minnesota Vikings have signed eight of their nine NFL Draft picks right before the start of rookie minicamp.
Getting them under contract quickly made complete sense. With the rookie wage scale, there isn’t much to discuss in terms of contract structure, especially with draft picks from the third round onward. The only guaranteed money for their slots is the signing bonuses they receive.
Where things get complicated is with the second round picks.
Jake Golday is still unsigned
The Vikings have yet to agree to a contract with 51st overall pick, linebacker Jake Golday. Last week, things were looking good for a contract after 50th overall pick, cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, didn’t receive a fully guaranteed contract. However, things potentially took a turn on Thursday when cornerback Avieon Terrell, the 48th overall pick, signed a fully guaranteed contract.
Last year for the first time, the top-40 selections were all fully guaranteed. That ended up being a major factor in players in the second round waiting so long to sign. With Terrell now getting a fully guaranteed contract, there could be more of a discussion. SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson confirmed that on Thursday.
“Second round pick Jake Golday, the linebacker from Cincinnati, is the one draft pick that hasn’t signed yet. My understanding is they are working through language on the fourth year. What that means: guarantees through the fourth [final] year of his rookie contract. Nothing that I think will take a really long time.”
SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson
It’s an interesting situation that the Vikings find themselves in. Hopefully, this won’t cause issues for him signing before the start of training camp, but the amount of guarantees could be just that.
For what it’s worth, I projected how much Golday would get based on inflation and what last year’s 51st overall pick, Nic Scourton, got.
Ponds got 90.9% of his contract fully guaranteed. That is 13% more than last year’s 50th overall pick, Seattle Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo, who got 77.9% fully guaranteed. This will likely impact Golday’s negotiations.
Last year, Carolina Panthers edge rusher Nic Scourton was the 51st overall pick and got $6,660,008 of his $8,614,236 contract fully guaranteed. That equates to 77.3%. If we use the Ponds selection to equate proper inflation, Golday will have approximately $8,744,791 of his $9,684,154 fully guaranteed.
Tyler forness
A to Z Sports
Hopefully, this doesn’t become a bigger story, and the deal gets done.