CHICAGO (WGN) — A unique phenomenon is playing out within the NFL’s latest rookie class, and it bears significance (no pun intended) when it comes to the Chicago Bears.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Bears second-round draft picks Shemar Turner and Ozzy Trapilo have each agreed to a four-year rookie deal with the franchise, leaving wide receiver Luther Burden III as their only remaining unsigned second-round pick.
With just two days left until Chicago’s rookie class is required to report to Halas Hall for training camp, what’s the hold-up with the Bears getting their second-round picks under contract?
After taking a step back to survey the NFL landscape, it’s actually an issue that’s caused a logjam league-wide. As recently as Monday, there were still 30 second-round picks left unsigned.
Here’s a look at how the Bears and the rest of the NFL reached this tense period of rookie contract negotiations.
The institution of the NFL rookie wage scale
About 15 years ago, the St. Louis Rams took Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford first overall in the 2010 NFL draft.
Once negotiations concluded between the Rams and Bradford, their brand new rookie QB commanded a six-year deal worth up to $78 million with $50 million in guarantees—the most expensive rookie contract in NFL history at the time.
As salaries for the No. 1 overall pick skyrocketed with each passing draft, the NFL and the players union agreed to a rookie wage scale shortly after Bradford inked that massive deal to join St. Louis.
How the rookie wage scale works is that the No. 1 pick in each draft, regardless of player or position, will end up with the most valuable contract in that draft class, with the No. 2 overall pick getting a contract that’s just slightly less valuable.
For example, Caleb Williams signed a four-year, $39,486,058 rookie deal with the Bears after last year’s draft, while Jayden Daniels signed a four-year, $37,746,650 rookie deal with the Washington Commanders.
This process repeats pick after pick, all the way until the end of the seventh round, when Mr. Irrelevant hears his name called.
In the grand scheme of things, there’s very little to negotiate over when it comes to rookie contracts in the NFL.
All deals are four years in length for drafted players. First-round picks have a fifth-year team option that must be picked up or declined by the player’s franchise between their third and fourth season in the NFL. First round picks are also the only draft picks to have fully guaranteed rookie contracts.
Or at least, that was the precedent set before the 2025 NFL draft came and went.
After the Houston Texans drafted wide receiver Jayden Higgins in the second round of this year’s draft, they became the first NFL team to break the trend. The Texans and Higgins agreed to a fully guaranteed four-year, $11,700,824 rookie contract on May 8.
A domino effect came with the deal. Since Higgins received a fully guaranteed contract, every other second-round pick in this year’s draft thought, “Why can’t my contract be fully guaranteed too?”
This thought process among second-round picks has led to standoffs between players, agents and NFL front offices over the past couple months. And since Chicago had the most second-round picks of any NFL franchise this year, general manager Ryan Poles and his head money man, vice president of football administrations Matt Feinstein, have had their hands full.
One of the most consequential back-and-forths in this scenario has come between the New Orleans Saints and No. 40 overall pick, Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough.
At a stalemate over his contract situation with the Saints, The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov reports Shough has a real shot to be a starter in New Orleans, and it isn’t likely the Saints want a player like him to miss time at the start of training camp.
Meirov said Shough is pushing for a fully guaranteed contract. If he gets it, that could be a game-changer for the five players who were selected right in front of him in the second round. That includes Burden, who was taken by the Bears one pick in front of Shough at No. 39.
Rookies are set to report to Halas Hall for training camp on Saturday, July 19, while veterans are required to report by Tuesday, July 22.