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New Orleans Saints undrafted free agents: Contract guarantees, details
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- New Orleans Saints undrafted free agents: Contract guarantees, details
We now know how many salary cap dollars the New Orleans Saints guaranteed to most of their undrafted free agents, thanks to the experts at Over The Cap . Numbers are in for almost everyone, with the exceptions of the two most recent signees -- defensive lineman Zxavian Harris and wide receiver Brock Rechsteiner, who have placeholders on OTC's ledger for the time being. Those filings should come in sooner rather than later. There's room to negotiate in how much of a contract can be guaranteed, and how (whether it's a portion of their rookie-year base salary, a signing bonus paid up front but spread out over three years, or both). Competing teams offer different terms to undrafted rookies to recruit them.
It's important to remember that these guarantees are more about setting expectations for players rather than promising them something like a roster spot. If a guy receives six figures in guarantees, the Saints expect him to compete at training camp and at least return on the practice squad, if not compete for a spot on the 53-man roster. If a player doesn't receive any guarantees beyond his signing bonus, they're seen as more of a tryout for training camp. As you can imagine, a lot of rookies fall in between those two extremes.
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The commitments made to a couple of linemen stand out right away. Offense tackle Alex Wollschlaeger, a four-year starter on the right side between his time at Kentucky and Bowling Green, leads the list with $277,500 in guarantees between his $30,000 signing bonus and $247,500 salary guarantee. That's a little more than his fellow right tackle Alan Herron, whose $272,500 in guarantees came between his salary and $25,000 signing bonus. Another rookie to watch is Central Michigan edge rusher Michael Heldman, who was guaranteed $267,500 between his salary ($247,500) and signing bonus ($20,000). Each of those guys should be seen as favorites to land on the practice squad if they don't make the 53-man roster.
Just three rookie free agents were guaranteed more than $30,000. NC State tight end Cody Hardy is out in front at $170,000 ($150,000 salary guarantee, $20,000 signing bonus), while Ohio State running back CJ Donaldson received $90,000 ($70,000 salary, $20,000 signing bonus). USC defensive tackle Keeshawn Silver was guaranteed $55,000 between his $25,000 signing bonus, paid up front, and his $30,000 guaranteed salary.
After that, you've got Wisconsin defensive tackle Jay'Viar Suggs at $30,000 ($20,000 of it coming from his signing bonus), tied with Alabama cornerback DaShawn Jones, also at $30,000 ($15,000 signing bonus). Texas kicker Mason Shipley did not receive any salary guarantees but he was given a $20,000 signing bonus. That's the case for Southern Illinois corner Jeremiah McLendon, too, who got a $15,000 signing bonus. One note on Shipley: he was guaranteed more money at signing than previous Saints specialists like Lou Hedley ($10,000), Blake Gillikin and Blake Grupe ($1,500 each). Former Saints punters James Burnip and Matthew Hayball were both guaranteed $35,000. Last year's punter Kai Kroeger won the job without being guaranteed a single dollar.
What does all of this mean? For now, not too much. None of these contracts hit the top-51 threshold to count against the salary cap before the regular season starts. And, as big as some of those numbers look, they're really marginal when you look at the big picture. Wollschlaeger's team-leading guarantees make up less than 10% of his total contract value. If none of these guys move the needle at training camp, the Saints will let them go during roster cuts without a second thought.
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On the other hand, if they hit? If the Saints find a couple of undrafted gems in this group? They're playing at a real bargain. That was the case with guys like Rashid Shaheed , Carl Granderson , and Juwan Johnson in recent years. We know how the Saints feel about each of their undrafted free agent pickups, at least coming out of college. Now we'll see how they do at practice this summer.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints sign rookie free agents: Contract details, guaranteed money
