The Chicago Bears inked Luther Burden III to the first guaranteed contract for the NFL draft's No. 39 pick in history.
The NFL’s rookie contract landscape just changed again. Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III signed his deal Friday, and according to Adam Schefter on X, it’s the first fully guaranteed rookie contract ever given to the No. 39 overall pick in league history.
This is a massive shift for the NFL.
Just a few years ago, second-round picks and even some late first-rounders rarely received full guarantees. Now, guarantees are creeping lower and lower into the draft. Burden isn’t just cashing in.
Precedent is being established.
And it begs the question: Did Deshaun Watson create this world, or did college football’s NIL Wild Wild West push it here?
When the Cleveland Browns gave Watson $230 million fully guaranteed, NFL agents started dreaming of protections they previously couldn’t get. However, the reality is that this trend may have more to do with what’s happening in college football’s new financial landscape than with the NFL itself.
Burden reportedly had significant NIL opportunities at Missouri, so why would he or any top rookie now accept a deal without firm guarantees?
If you’re coming from the Wild Wild West of NIL money, NFL teams can no longer say this is just how we’ve always done things.
It’s clear these rookie contracts are evolving fast. Burden’s deal won’t be the last fully guaranteed one we see.
The question now is how long it will take for this to become the standard.
Category: General Sports
