Let's make a deal: Even with slotted picks, there's still wiggle room when it comes to rookie contracts

When it comes to salaries, deals for draft picks are now slotted, so there is very little wiggle room when it comes to the signing bonus and total size of the rookie deal. But there are ways for first-year players to land more money than others. Much of it comes down to where they're drafted, but there are other thing in play as well.



First, some background: A credited season determines the minimum salary of a player with "X" numbers of credited seasons. A player needs three games to get credit for a credited season. Games on injured reserve do NOT count in the credited season calculation.

On May 22, 2017 ESPN's Mike Reiss shared this rookie pool tidbit: "Why so many third-rounders who have yet to sign? One NFL salary cap man relayed that third-round negotiations have proven to be more challenging than other rounds in recent years. The reason is that first- and second-round picks can receive a maximum of 25 percent allocation of a team's rookie salary cap, but because the third round doesn't max out at 25 percent, there is often debate over what the correct percentage should be."

The following items are now what are typically negotiated:

1) Salary Guarantee: How much of a player's salary is fully guaranteed. It ranges from 100 percent for all four years for the top picks in the draft to zero percent for players drafted in the third round or lower. For players drafted late in the second round, their first-year salary is usually fully guaranteed, and some part of their second year's salary is fully guaranteed.

2) Guarantee Offset: With offset language, a team that cuts a player with remaining guaranteed salary will receive a dollar-for-dollar credit on their following year's adjusted cap if/when he lands with a new team. With no offset language, the player gets to double dip, keeping the money he gets under his rookie contract from the team that drafted while pocketing whatever he makes from his new team.

3) Timing of Payments: Large signing bonuses are often paid over time in a few payments. For example, Tom Brady received the final payment ($5 million) of his 2013 $30 million signing bonus in February 2015. Agents would like to limit the number of payments to one and to get as much as upfront money as possible. Meanwhile, teams would like to spread out the payments. Players would like to receive any roster bonuses early in the league year, while teams would like to delay them as much as possible. Some teams like to divide the fourth-year cash for their first-round picks between salary and a roster bonus that is earned during training camp. The Patriots have not been one of those teams.

4) Split Salary: Often lower-round draft picks, undrafted free agents (UDFAs) and players with an injury history sign deals that will lower their salary if placed on injured reserve (IR). The minimum salary for 2018 rookies is $480,000. The split salary amount for 2018 rookies is $363,000. The minimum salary for a player with one credited season in 2019 will be $570,000. The split salary amount in 2019 for a player with one credited season is $393,000.

As you can see, a 2018 draftee who has the split-salary provision in their contract will receive $127,000 (just over a fourth) less if placed on IR before Week 1. Teams and draft picks also negotiate over when the split-season salary provision becomes effective. Some deals have the split-salary provision kick in only if the players is placed on IR during the preseason, which does not apply if the player goes on IR during the regular season.  The range for the split-salary provisions goes from none for the players drafted in the first two rounds to having one for the first two years of the rookie deal for the players drafted in the sixth and the seventh rounds. For third-round picks the split-salary provision is for the entire first year of the rookie deal.

5) Credited Season: Often lower-round draft picks, undrafted free agents (UDFAs) and players with an injury history sign deals that will lower their salary if placed on injured reserve and that will lower their 2019 salary from $570,000 to $495,000 (minimum salary for 2019 rookies).

6) Other Compensation: Rookies' cash intake are allowed to increase by 25 percent of their first-year cap number.

Example: Cyrus Jones' 2016 cap number was $728,492. Twenty-five percent of $728,492 equals $182,123.

His 2017 salary was $450,000 plus $182,123, which equals $632,123.

His' 2018 salary is $632,123 plus $182,123, which equals $814,246.

His' 2019 salary is $814,246 plus $182,123, which equals $996,369.

First- and second-round picks usually have the 25 percent rule applied to their deals while lower-round picks (third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh) for the Patriots do not have the opportunity to earn more cash than the minimum salaries.

Prediction Time: Christian Sam, Ryan Izzo, Danny Etling, Keion Crossen, Braxton Berrios, Ja'Whaun Bentley, and Duke Dawson will all be signed by Mother's Day (May 13). Isaiah Wynn and Sony Michel will be signed by Father's Day (June 17).

Their deals should look something like these:

UPDATED, May 3 4:35 p.m.: with the official rookie pool numbers.

Wynn
2018: $480,000 (fully guaranteed)
2019: $1,000,087 (fully guaranteed)
2020: $1,520,174 (fully guaranteed)
2021: $2,040,261 with an option for the 2022 season

He should receive a $6,401,388 signing bonus that will be prorated $1,600,347 over the four years of his deal making his cap numbers:

2018: $2,087,347
2019: $2,600,434
2020: $3,120,521
2021: $3,640,608

Michel
His salaries should be:
2018: $480,000 (fully guaranteed)
2019: $917,577 (fully guaranteed)
2020: $1,355,154 (fully guaranteed)
2021: $1,792,731 with an option for the 2022 season

He should receive a $5,081,232 signing bonus that will be prorated $1,270,308 each year over the four years of his deal making his cap numbers:
2018: $1,750,308
2019: $2,187,855
2020: $2,625,462
2021: $3,063,039

Dawson
His salaries should be:
2018: $480,000 (fully guaranteed)
2019: $695,676 (partially guaranteed)
2020: $911,352
2021: $1,127,028

He should receive a $1,530,820 signing bonus that will be prorated $382,705 each year over the four years of his deal making his cap numbers:
2018: $862,705
2019: $1,078,381
2020: $1,294,057
2021: $1,509,733

Bentley
His salaries will be:
2018: $480,000
2019: $570,000
2020: $660,000
2021: $750,000

He should receive a $303,952 signing bonus that will be prorated $75,988 yearly over the four years of his deal making his cap numbers:
2018: $555,988
2019: $645,988
2020: $735,988
2021: $825,988

Sam
His salaries will be:
2018: $480,000
2019: $570,000
2020: $660,000
2021: $750,000

He should receive a $181,496 signing bonus that will be prorated $45,374 yearly over the four years of his deal making his cap numbers:
2018: $525,374
2019: $615,374
2020: $705,374
2021: $795,374

Berrios
His salaries will be:
2018: $480,000
2019: $570,000
2020: $660,000
2021: $750,000

He should receive a $118,408 signing bonus that will be prorated $29,602 yearly over the four years of his deal making his cap numbers:
2018: $509,602
2019: $599,602
2020: $689,602
2021: $769,602

Etling
His salaries will be:
2018: $480,000
2019: $570,000
2020: $660,000
2021: $750,000

He should receive a $104,028 signing bonus that will be prorated $26,007 annually over the four years of his deal making his cap numbers:
2018: $506,007
2019: $596,007
2020: $686,007
2021: $776,007

Crossen
His salaries will be:
2018: $480,000
2019: $570,000
2020: $660,000
2021: $750,000

He should receive a $74,392 signing bonus that will be prorated $18,598 annually over the four years of his deal making his cap numbers:
2018: $498,598
2019: $588,598
2020: $678,598
2021: $768,598

Izzo
His salaries will be:
2018: $480,000
2019: $570,000
2020: $660,000
2021: $750,000

He should receive a $69,072 signing bonus that will be prorated $17,268 annually over the four years of his deal making his cap numbers:
2018: $497,268
2019: $587,268
2020: $677,268
2021: $767,268

Answering some logical follow-up questions:

Question: What has been the past history of fifth-round picks making the Patriots Week 1 roster?

Answer: During the Bill Belichick era, the Patriots have made fourteen fifth-round draft picks, eight of which made the Week 1 roster. One (Marcus Cannon) was placed on NFI. Five were waived.

Question: What has been the past history of sixth-round picks making the Patriots Week 1 roster?

Answer: During the Belichick era, the Patriots have made twenty-eight sixth-round picks, 10 of which made the Week 1 roster. Five were placed on IR. One (Arther Love) was placed on PUP. One (Matthew Wells) was traded. Eleven were waived.

Question: What has been the past history of seventh-round picks making the Patriots Week 1 roster?

Answer: During the Belichick era, the Patriots have made thirty seventh-round draft picks. Eleven made the Week 1 roster. Fifteen were waived. Four were placed on IR. For those who may believe in the Foxboro Flu, please note that none of the four injured reserve players made the 53-man roster the following year.

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