ExtremeRavens Posted Thursday at 04:13 PM Posted Thursday at 04:13 PM An important development for the Ravens took place Wednesday when the San Francisco 49ers reportedly reached an agreement on a four-year, $10.3 million contract that includes over $9 million guaranteed with rookie defensive lineman Alfred Collins, a second-round pick out of Texas. What does the 49ers finally coming to terms with Collins, the 43rd overall pick, have to do with Baltimore? Plenty. Until then, 30 of the 32 second-round picks from this year’s draft had remained unsigned. Included in that group is outside linebacker Mike Green, Baltimore’s controversial second-round pick out of Marshall and the only Ravens rookie who has yet to sign a contract. The hang-up, in short, for Green and the other second-round picks has been over guaranteed money, and the situation has lingered longer than usual. While fully guaranteed contracts have become the norm for first-round draft picks in recent years, that is not the case for those who come behind them. Before Collins’ deal, Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins, taken 34th overall, in May became the first second-round pick in NFL history to sign a fully guaranteed contract. A day later, Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger, selected 33rd overall, followed suit. The deals for Higgins and Schwesinger, unsurprisingly, led agents for the rest of the second-round draft picks to ask for more guaranteed money. As the 59th overall pick, Green is slotted to get a four-year contract worth $7.4 million under the rookie wage scale that is in the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the Players Association. How much of that will be guaranteed, however, remains to be seen. According to Over The Cap, the 59th pick in 2023 and 2024 had 53.7% and 54% of their contracts guaranteed, respectively, so it seems unlikely Green’s would be fully guaranteed. While Green was able to participate in rookie minicamp, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp earlier this offseason because of an agreement that he signed, as most unsigned rookies typically do, that won’t be the case if he’s still unsigned by the first full practice of training camp on Wednesday. As someone who is expected to be an integral part of the Ravens’ defense this season, it will be imperative for Baltimore to have him on the field as soon as possible — and preferably for the start of training camp. The news of Collins’ deal should help speed up the process for Green and all unsigned NFL rookies, with a more defined path to an agreeable amount of guaranteed money for both the player and team. But Green could choose to hold out for more. So far, the delay has had no impact on the team or Green’s development, but the clock is ticking. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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