Why the NY Jets still haven’t signed rookie TE Mason Taylor

The NFL is finally returning with training camps beginning this week. The New York Jets’ rookies report this Saturday, July 19, while the veterans report on Tuesday, July 22.

Jets general manager Darren Mougey still has plenty of work to do. Most of the focus has been on the extensions of Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson, which Mougey addressed this week. But there’s another contract the Jets need to address as well.

Mason Taylor, the Jets’ 2025 second-round pick, remains without a contract days before camp begins. As the expected starting tight end, Taylor needs to get integrated into the offense immediately.

Unfortunately, it will be more difficult than ever before to get a deal done.

Mason Taylor’s contract holdup is part of a larger NFL trend

The Jets aren’t alone in their struggles. 30 of 32 second-round picks from the 2025 draft class remain unsigned. Only the Browns (33rd pick) and the Texans (34th pick) have signed their draft picks. So, what’s the holdup?

As always, it comes down to the money. The Texans surprisingly gave wide receiver Jayden Higgins a fully guaranteed contract, making him the first second-round pick to ever get a fully guaranteed rookie deal. This was quickly followed by the Browns signing linebacker Carson Schwesinger to a fully guaranteed deal as well.

For the Browns, their hand was forced. Schwesinger was drafted before Higgins, so he deserved a similar contract. It’s not as simple for the rest of the draft class.

These issues extend beyond the second round. The Cincinnati Bengals’ first-round pick, Shemar Stewart (17th pick), is also holding out as he pursues a guaranteed deal. Stewart is refusing to sign until the Bengals remove language that could void his guaranteed money.

The debate over guaranteed money is happening outside of the draft as well.

The NFL is facing scrutiny for potential collusion following Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed $230 million deal back in 2022. League officials reportedly urged team owners to limit guaranteed money in future deals.

A judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence back in January. However, senior NFLPA leadership struck a deal to keep these findings confidential until a recent appeal made the ruling public.

These two events happening simultaneously are unlikely to be a coincidence. Instead, this is another chapter in the constant struggle where the NFL attempts to maintain control while its players try to get a larger share of the profits from the game they play.

So, what does this mean for the Jets?

Signing Mason Taylor may be out of the Jets’ hands

The biggest ramification of this is that rookie tight end Mason Taylor could miss the start of camp. As their expected starting tight end, the Jets want him to practice with the rest of the team as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it’s not simply a matter of whether the Jets value Taylor enough to give him a fully guaranteed contract.

Considering that 29 other second-round picks have not been signed, the NFL has dug its heels in. Unless the Jets or Taylor break ranks, they, along with the rest of the NFL, are at a stalemate.

In some good news for the Jets, Taylor hasn’t let an unsigned contract stop him from participating yet. Taylor was one of the biggest standouts from the Jets’ offseason program back in May. While an encouraging sign, things