To this point, there had been a longstanding issue around the NFL which stemmed from one particular move made after the 2025 NFL Draft. However, the San Francisco 49ers might have just helped trigger a domino effect which will lead to solving the problem in a hurry.
John Lynch and the 49ers just agreed to terms with second-round rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins on his initial contract. It's a 4-year, $10.3 million deal with $9 million guaranteed.
Why is this a big deal?
As this is written, only two second-round picks had been signed to their rookie contracts prior to Collins. The Houston Texans' Jayden Higgins and the Cleveland Browns' Carson Schwesinger were the two to get fully-guaranteed deals as the first two picks in this year's second round.
The rest of the NFL might be able to solve their second-round rookie problem in last-minute fashion
Now that Collins has officially signed, the rest of the league likely knows what they have to do. Collins was the 11th overall pick in the second round and got roughly 84 percent of his money guaranteed.
Using simple math, the rest of the league should be able to come to agreements with their second rounders as well -- at least, one would think.
For a team like the Chicago Bears, it's more complicated as they've got three second-round picks. On the flip side, the Pittsburgh Steelers don't have to worry because they didn't even have a second rounder to begin with.
But, the significance here is that training camp is just about to begin and there are a lot of rookies who will be missing in action unless a contract gets signed. Per the NFL CBA, rookies cannot participate in camp if they do not have a signed deal.
Now that Lynch has seemingly set the bar and given some hypothetical math for the rest of the league to do, one might believe there could be a rash of contracts to come through now just in the nick of time.
For 49ers fans who wanted to get real petty and rivalry-driven in the middle of July, they could watch the Dallas Cowboys who made their second-round selection right after the 49ers. How long will it take Jerry Jones to figure this one out?
Here's to hoping for a little more comedy before the start of camp.
