The Minnesota Vikings are less than four weeks away from the start of training camp and both quarterback J.J. McCarthy and outside linebacker Dallas Turner have yet to sign their rookie contracts.
In fact, McCarthy and Turner are two of only five NFL first-round draft NFL draft picks that have yet to sign their rookie contracts. While that’s obviously not a good thing, is it something that Vikings fans should be worried about?
Why there could be a holdup for both Minnesota Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner?
First, let’s dig into why Turner and McCarthy remain unsigned. According to Article 7 of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, players who are drafted in the first-round receive a four-year contract with a fifth-year club option and the player’s base salary will be fully guaranteed.
Essentially, NFL rookie contracts are “fixed’ and “unalterable” based on where you were selected in the first-round. Despite being “fixed” or “unalterable” there is something that rookies can negotiate, the payment schedule of their signing bonus. Players at the top of the draft, particularly, have more leverage with this negotiating tactic.