Holdouts haven’t been an issue for the Los Angeles Rams during Sean McVay’s tenure, outside of Aaron Donald’s two contract disputes in 2017 and 2018. Entering training camp this month, though, the Rams could have a tricky situation on their hands.
It’s not necessarily their fault, either.
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The Browns and Texans set the precedent after the draft by signing their second-round picks, Carson Schwesinger and Jayden Higgins to fully guaranteed contracts. Since then, no other second-rounders have signed. CBS Sports reports that Tyler Shough is seeking a fully guaranteed contract, too, because he’s projected to be the Saints’ starting quarterback.
This leads us to Terrance Ferguson, the 46th overall pick in the draft and the Rams’ top selection, which came in Round 2 after trading down. He’s Los Angeles’ only unsigned draft pick and with 11 players drafted ahead of him also unsigned, there’s no resolution in sight.
Chargers rookie Tre Harris just threw a wrench into all of this by opting not to report to training camp this weekend, officially holding out as he aims to sign a fully guaranteed deal; Harris was the 55th overall pick, also a second-rounder.
If none of the players drafted ahead of Ferguson cave and accept a non-fully guaranteed contract, Ferguson could continue to wait things out in hopes of getting the most guaranteed money he can.
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And to be clear, this isn’t about the value or salary of their contracts. Those are set based on their draft slot. It’s the guaranteed money that has wiggle room in negotiations.
Rams rookies (and veterans) are set to report on July 22, which puts Ferguson on holdout watch until then. It’s entirely possible he’ll bite the bullet and take less than a fully guaranteed contract but with no second-rounders ahead of him going that route (yet), he has little reason to settle right now.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams training camp: Terrance Ferguson could be on holdout watch