Yesterday, Shonn Greene signed a 4-year deal with the New York Jets. I am not a Jets fan and never followed the former Iowa RB closely, so why am I even bringing this up? It’s because I also happened to come across an excellent post yesterday, concerning the structuring of NFL player contracts for those selected in Day 2 of the draft (rounds 3-7). Shonn fits that category, as he was selected in the 3rd round of the 2009 NFL Draft, even though many expected the Doak Award Award winner to be off the boards a day earlier.
Anyway, Greene’s 4-year deal is unsurprising. According to J.I. Halsell, who wrote the post linked to above, the Jets are one of twenty-five NFL teams who give their Day 2 draftees 4-year contracts. The other seven teams, offer their Day 2 draft picks 3-year contracts. It’s good to know which teams offer which types of contracts if you plan on representing any players who have a chance of going rounds 3-7. Halsell notes the following teams as being the 3-year offerors: Arizona, Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Saint Louis.
Halsell goes on to talk about salary escalators in the last year of rookie contracts, and how they differ depending on if it is a 3-year or 4-year contract. This is an area where the agent and team can negotiate terms. Keep these things in mind as you start to see more and more Day 2 players signed to their respective teams.
