One Houston Texans rookie stamped his place into unique NFL history before even setting foot onto the field for a preseason game.
Back on May 8th earlier this offseason, Texans second-round pick Jayden Higgins officially put pen to paper on his rookie contract, as one of only a select few second-rounders in this class to have agreed to their rookie deal at this point– a group that only includes himself and Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
And within that contract, Higgins made NFL history, becoming the first-ever second-round pick to earn a fully guaranteed rookie deal, an attribute usually only given to first-rounders' contracts following the draft. But instead, the Texans opted to give their rookie wideout a bit of an unprecedented pay boost.
After Higgins' deal, Schwesinger signed his own fully-guaranteed deal, who was selected one pick before the Texans' wideout, making that two second-rounders to find their place in history.
However, following those pair of signings is where things get sticky. The league has now come to a standstill on signing second-round picks, and one that's yet to sort itself out just a month away from training camp has ensued.
Names like New Orleans Saints' quarterback Tyler Shough, who was selected at pick 40, are aspiring to earn those same guarantees, as he'll likely be in line to be the team's Week One starting quarterback. And it's a claim that certainly makes sense from Shough's perspective, but in whatever way that plays out will domino across the rest of those in the second round
If Shough gets such a contract to come his way, those within that 35 to 39 range will be looking for similar contract parameters. That's not to mention what any expectations are for the second half of that second round, who are yet to have signed as well.
It's the art of contract negotiations, but it now puts the NFL in a bit of a bind with their rookies before Week One has kicked off– and it all started with the Texans' rookie wide receiver.
So, while Higgins was the first second-rounder to get that guaranteed money, it's now been one to created a bit of a wide-spanning ripple effect across the NFL. One that will resolve itself in due time, but you'd have to imagine the Texans' rookie certainly won't be the last second-round to earn those guarantees moving forward.
