The 49ers signed their second-round draft pick, Alfred Collins, to a four-year deal on Wednesday.
As of Thursday morning and with only two days to go until rookie reporting date, New England Patriots second-round draft pick TreVeyon Henderson remains unsigned. Whether the stalemate can be resolved before Saturday remains to be seen, but some movement could be on the horizon based on a look around the NFL.
On Wednesday, after all, the San Francisco 49ers signed their own second-round selection. Alfred Collins, the defensive tackle out of Texas who was picked 43rd overall in April, has put his signature under a four-year, $10.3 million deal.
According to a report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Collins’ contract contains over $9 million in guarantees — 88 percent of the total value of the pact — and is “expected to trigger multiple second-round signings.” Henderson’s could be among them given that the 49ers signing Collins gives them a frame of reference to work with.
The problem facing the Patriots and all but two other teams entering this week, after all, was the structure and percentages of second-round guarantees. While the first two picks of Round 2 — Cleveland’s Carson Schwesinger and Houston’s Jayden Higgins — signed fully-guaranteed contracts, others teams were hesitant to go down that road.
Those teams include the Patriots, who had drafted Henderson 38th overall out of Ohio State. With Collins now becoming the third second-rounder to sign his deal, however, New England and Henderson’s camp have a floor to work with, as pointed out by salary cap expert Miguel Benzan:
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the 43rd overall pick, Alfred Collins, signed his rookie deal with the 49ers. According to Schefter, Collins will have 88 percent of his deal fully guaranteed. The 43rd pick in the 2024 draft had 77.98% of his fully guaranteed. That’s over 10% increase.
What does the Alfred Collins signing mean for TreVeyon Henderson and the Patriots? It sets the floor. Henderson’s representatives will probably look to match the 10% increase in fully guaranteed amount going from 82.98% (2024 number) to at least 93%.
If at least 93 percent of Henderson’s rookie deal end up as full guarantees, he would end up receiving no less than $10.36 million in guarantees — including $4.74 million in form of a signing bonus. According to the rookie wage scale collectively bargained between the NFL and the NFLPA, his deal as a whole will be worth $11.14 million. Henderson will have a salary cap hit of $2.03 million in 2025, regardless of his guarantee structure.
The Patriots’ rookie class is set to report to training camp on Saturday, July 19. Veterans will join them three days later, with the first practice of the summer scheduled for Wednesday, July 23 at 10:15 a.m. ET.