When you think of negotiating a draft pick, some of you might look at Jerry Maguire. You think people are gathered in a room, shouting, demanding XXX amount and fighting for their clients.
That may be true with the top dozen picks or so in the draft but, for the most part, agents and team contract negotiators are haggling over no more than a few thousand bucks. Take this recent article from agent Jack Bechta on the National Football Post:
For example, if a 5th round slot had a signing bonus of $200,000 in 2009, the agent might believe it should be increased by 3.25% to $206,500 for 2010. Meanwhile, the cap manager believes the bonus should only increase by 3% to $206,000. The difference is a whopping $500. Even if the agent and cap manager agree on all the other contract components, such as term, injury splits, credit season language, escalators tied to the number of off-season completed workouts and play time, etc., the deal could still take months to get done. So, believe it or not, $50 to $500 dollars can hold up a late-round contract for weeks.
Crazy, right?
We've got no updates on the Chiefs rookie signing status but last year Ryan Succop signed on this day, June 18. The Chiefs announced a host of other signings right before training camp so it's possible we see a signing here and there then the majority of the seven rookies officially doing deals right before camp.
We'll be keeping an eye out for any signings. Remember, the Chiefs like announcing news late on Friday afternoon/evening when the news cycle isn't in full motion.