Finally, a third second-round pick has signed his rookie deal. And it's not a fully-guaranteed one. On Wednesday, according to ESPN's insider Adam Schefter, the San Francisco 49ers agreed to a deal with defensive tackle Alfred Collins, the 43rd overall pick, opening the door for other second-rounds picks to get things done ahead of training camp. This will certainly make life much easier for the Green Bay Packers in regards to offensive lineman Anthony Belton.
Collins signed a four-year, $10.3 million contract with the 49ers. Despite all the drama surrounding the second-rounders, it will not be a fully-guaranteed deal. The defensive tackle will get $9 million guaranteed, which is 88% of the total value—a significant increase compared to Arizona Cardinals cornerback Max Melton, the 43rd overall pick last year, who had around 78% of guarantees.
Why the drama was going on
Up to this point, only the two first second-round picks had signed their deals, Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins and Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger, and they were fully-guaranteed contracts. After that, agents of players taken in the second round followed up, requesting full guarantees as well.
Now that Alfred Collins has signed a contract with less than 90% in guarantees, the Packers have an open way to get things done with Anthony Belton, the 54th overall pick.
In 2023, Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu was the 54th pick. He signed a four-year, $6.571 million contract, and 55.5% of that was fully guaranteed at signing. In 2024, the Cleveland Browns gave defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. a four-year, $7.069 million, with 61.9% in guarantees.
A normal flow would indicate that Belton's guarantee would be 68.3% of his rookie contract. However, this movement elevated the expected guarantees for everyone. Based on the rookie scale, Belton will eventually sign a four-year, $8.01 million deal with the Packers. Projecting 75% in guarantees, that would be something around $6 million—basically, the first three years of the contract.
That sounds reasonable for both sides, since it's extremely unlikely that the Packers would release Belton before three years anyway. Moreover, not giving him a fully-guaranteed contract is enough to escape setting a bad precedent for future negotiations.
Now that the fully-guaranteed dream is over for most second-rounders, the Packers have a clearer path to have Belton under contract to begin training camp next week, alongside the rest of the 2025 draft class.
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