NFL training camps open as early as July 12. Only two second-round picks have been signed.

Who will blink next?

That’s the overriding question surrounding 2025 NFL second-round draft picks, including Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson, as the clock ticks toward the opening of training camps.

By July 23, all teams will have reported. Two days from now, on July 12, Chargers rookies will report to camp ahead of the rest of the team on July 16.

Six teams – the Ravens, Bills, Dolphins, Giants, 49ers and Seahawks – welcome their rookies on July 15. The next day brings rookies from the Broncos and Lions followed by the Raiders on July 17, the Browns, Packers and Commanders on July 18; the Bears, Bengals, Jaguars, Patriots and Jets on July 19 and the Vikings on July 20.

The next three days feature the remainder of the rookies as well as veterans. Cardinals rookies and veterans report on July 22.

The stalemate with second-rounders began after two days in May. On the 8th, the Texans signed wide receiver Jayden Higgins, the second pick in the round, to a fully guaranteed four-year contract. The following day, the Browns followed suit with the first pick in the round, linebacker Carson Schwesinger.

Draft-choice contracts are slotted for total dollars, but guarantees and other issues can be negotiated.

The signing of Higgins and Schwesinger set a potential precedent that other teams have yet to follow as agents pushed for fully guaranteed deals, especially for players in the top portion of the round.

In 2024, the first 11 selections had the first three years of their contracts fully guaranteed along with a partial guarantee in the fourth year.

Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman, the first pick in the round, had $1.735 million of his $2.094 million base salary guaranteed, a difference of only $433,763.

The difference grew with each successive pick until the 11th choice when Cardinals cornerback Max Melton had only $50,000 of his $2.007 million base salary guaranteed.

From the 12th choice through No. 27, there were two years guaranteed and a partial guarantee in the third year. The final five picks in the round included no guarantees in the third or fourth year.

The Cardinals Johnson was the 15th choice in the second round this year. Last year’s No. 15 pick, Giants safety Tyler Nubin, had his first two years guaranteed, $1.208 million of his $1.488 third-year salary guaranteed and no guarantees in Year 4.

Now, everyone is waiting. No agent wants to be the next one to agree to a contract that then affects others in the round. Complicating matters are the rolling reporting dates.

While there won’t be major work done for teams that have rookies reporting before the remainder of the roster, once the veterans report, everything ramps up, especially after the three-day acclimation period ends.

Because the Chargers and Lions are playing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game July 31, their veterans report earlier than other teams with the Chargers on July 16 and the Lions July 19. Both have unsigned second-round picks: Chargers wide receiver Tre Harris (23rd in the round) and Lions guard Tate Ratledge (25th).

Interestingly, the Browns and Texans are in the same boat as 25 other teams with unsigned second-round picks because they each picked two in the round: Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (fourth) and Texans tackle Aireontae Ersery (16th).

The Bears have three unsigned picks in the round and the Seahawks two. The only teams not sweating out the next few weeks are those that didn’t have a second-rounder: Falcons, Jaguars, Vikings, Giants and Steelers.

While deadlines will likely lead to a flurry of deals getting done, there are sure to be some late-arriving players that could have their seasons affected by missing critical work in training camp.

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