No. 39 pick Luther Burden is signing a 100% fully guaranteed rookie contract with the Bears, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, becoming the latest pick in the history of the draft to do so.
News of Burden’s deal came two hours after No. 37 pick Jonah Savaiinaea received a fully guaranteed contract from the Dolphins, continuing a cascade of second-round pick signings as teams being to gather for training camp. Burden, once a projected first-round pick, will still secure a fully guaranteed rookie deal after falling into the second round.
All eyes will now turn to No. 40 pick Tyler Shough. His holdout for a fully guaranteed deal as the Saints’ projected starting quarterback is one of the main reasons that so many second-rounders remained unsigned by their rookie reporting dates. Now that every pick ahead of Shough has signed a fully guaranteed deal – except for Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins, who is facing a misdemeanor battery charge in Florida – the 25-year-old quarterback should be able to extract similar terms from the Saints.
The Bears’ rookie class is due to report on Friday, and after reaching an agreement with the team on a four-year, $10.965MM contract, Burden will be among them. The former Missouri standout will now compete with a deep group of pass-catchers for targets in Ben Johnson‘s new-look offense.