The Chicago Bears and second-round draft pick Shemar Turner have agreed to a four-year contract, sources confirmed to the Tribune on Thursday. The news comes two days before Bears rookies report for training camp at Halas Hall.
Entering this week, Turner was one of 30 second-round picks who had yet to sign rookie contracts. Fellow Bears second-rounders Luther Burden III and Ozzy Trapilo remain unsigned as of Thursday morning.
Drafted NFL rookies don’t have much say in how much money they will make. Their salaries are slotted based upon where they were selected. They can, however, negotiate certain aspects of a contract.
The holdup for second-round picks this year stems from the amount of guaranteed money in those rookie contracts. While it has become the norm for first-round picks to negotiate fully guaranteed rookie deals, that isn’t the case for players selected in the second round or later.
Bears first-round picks Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze signed fully guaranteed contracts a year ago. Tight end Colston Loveland, the No. 10 pick this year, signed a fully guaranteed contract worth $26.6 million about a week after the draft.
When Houston Texans second-round pick Jayden Higgins signed a fully guaranteed contract worth $11.7 million on May 8, it made history. He became the first player selected outside the first round to receive a fully guaranteed rookie deal.
Higgins’ contract triggered a leaguewide standoff among this year’s second-round picks and their new teams that has continued into this week, when rookies across the league are required to report for training camp. Rookies can participate in organized team activities and minicamp before signing a contract, but they aren’t allowed to participate in training camp without signing.
The prolonged wait, however, appears to be ending. The San Francisco 49ers and second-round pick Alfred Collins reached an agreement Wednesday night, possibly breaking the logjam.
The Bears had more second-round picks than any other team this year. Although all three remained unsigned entering this week, the agreement with Turner could be a sign that Burden and Trapilo might be soon to follow.
The Bears selected Turner, a defensive tackle out of Texas A&M, with the 62nd pick. Based on where he was drafted, his rookie contract is expected to be worth $7.2 million. It’s unclear how much of that money will be guaranteed.
The Bears drafted Burden, a wide receiver from Missouri, at No. 39 and Trapilo, an offensive tackle from Boston College, at No. 56.
All five of the Bears draft picks outside of the second round have signed their rookie contracts. Rookies report for camp Saturday, while veterans report Tuesday.
