Over the next two weeks, NFL teams will report to training camps and begin the serious preparations for the 2025 NFL season. As of right now, there are still two first-round picks from the 2025 NFL draft who haven’t signed their rookie contracts, but they feel like very different situations. This is in addition to the unprecedented number of second-round picks who are still unsigned as well.
The Denver Broncos continue to work on a contract for their first-round pick, cornerback Jahdae Barron. One pick before Barron, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who signed a four-year, $18.1 million contract that is fully guaranteed. This means the contract Barron signs will be slightly less than this. Pretty straightforward stuff, and there’s been nothing public about Barron or his agents having any issue with what the Broncos are doing.
On the other hand, we have defensive end Shemar Stewart. The Bengals took Stewart No. 17 overall. His situation is different. The contract offered to Stewart isn’t fully guaranteed for the four seasons, and that is why Stewart isn’t signing. Nothing the Bengals are doing violates the CBA, by the way, but it is something we haven’t seen, which is why there is a hangup. At this point, it is just a matter of who blinks first.