Jason Licht might have trouble signing Josiah Trotter to his rookie deal before Buccaneers start training camp
The NFL has seen a spike in fully-guaranteed deals over the last few offseasons and it’s created some problems for general managers. Jason Licht, Josiah Trotter, and the Buccaneers could be a part of the next batch in 2026.
It’s not easy being the general manager of an NFL franchise. It’s one of the hardest gigs in sports and we’ve seen plenty of guys get chewed up and spit out through the years.
The recent development with the second-round rookie contracts hasn’t made life any better, either. Second-round picks have held out for guaranteed money over the last few years. It really hit a head in 2025 when the NFL saw eight players sign fully-guaranteed deals. Those contracts created a logjam for basically all 32 players taken in that round.
Remember? Last year, 30 second-rounders were unsigned once teams began reporting for training camp.
That won’t change this year, either. In fact, we’re likely to see more than eight fully-guaranteed contracts signed, which will only raise the ante for everyone else.
Josiah Trotter could be the first-ever Buccaneers second-round pick to get a fully-guaranteed deal
Jason Licht, Josiah Trotter, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ front office will certainly be part of the equation, as well. Licht hit a buzzer-beater with Benjamin Morrison, last year’s 53rd overall pick. He signed on the day rookies were reporting to camp and it was a four-year, $8,215,962 deal. It includes $6,192,127 in fully-guaranteed money, per Over The Cap.
Therefore, Morrison’s deal includes 75.4% in guaranteed money. The 53rd pick in this year’s draft will earn more than that – it’s simply based on market trends and whatnot.
And that goes along with Trotter, who was this year’s 47th overall pick. Will Johnson, last year’s 47th pick, received a deal from the Arizona Cardinals that came with 85.5% in guaranteed money.
Licht could certainly find himself in a situation where Trotter and his reps are looking for a fully-guaranteed contract. The cap rose again this year and again, it’s all about market trends and piggybacking off the latest deal. The fully-guaranteed deals trickled all the way down to New Orleans Saints QB Tyler Shough at No. 40, therefore, it’s more than plausible it reaches the Buccaneers and Trotter at 46, this year.
If not, it’ll be damn close to 100% guaranteed. All you have to do is look at Alfred Collins, the 43rd overall pick in last year’s draft. The 49ers guaranteed 88% of his deal and that’s going to increase this year.
It will mostly hinge on what happens in front of Trotter and the Buccaneers. If the guys in front of him get the expected contracts, it’s logical for him to hold out as long as possible without hurting his development.
But there’s also the aspect of “when is enough, enough?” from Licht’s and the rest of the general managers’ standpoint. The obvious fear with all of this is fully-guaranteed deals continue to trickle further and further down the board until Day 3 picks are fighting for them.
That simply doesn’t make sense when factoring in how the league works. Handing Day 3 picks fully-guaranteed deals will wreck havoc on the team construction and the salary cap structure. Maybe there’s a future workaround, but that is far down the line.
Either way, Trotter and the Bucs will have to figure this out. Maybe the situation takes care of itself in the fashion of Trotter just wanting a good deal so he can quickly sign and get on the field. There’s certainly a world where that can happen.
But, as with most things in the NFL, only time will tell.