Craig Woodson Signs Four-Year $5.2 million Deal With Patriots

Former Cal safety will make about $1.1 million as a rookie in the NFL if he makes the team
Craig Woodson
Craig Woodson / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Former Cal safety Craig Woodson over the weekend signed a four-year, $5.2 million contact with the New England Patriots.

There was no negotiation regarding the dollar amount because incoming rookies are paid on a scale based on when they were picked in the NFL draft.  Woodson was the 106th overall pick in the draft, so his rookie deal is a four-year contract worth $5,266,444, according to Spotrac.

He is scheduled to earn $1.1 million as a rookie based on a salary of $840,000 and a signing bonus of just over $266,000.

In the final year of the contract, assuming he is still on the team, Woodson will earn $1.5 million.

Woodson was drafted in the fourth round and is given a good chance to make the Patriots’ regular-season roster.

Woodson was a three-year starter at Cal, and versatility is seen as a strength.

“I like him,” veteran Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers said of Woodson recently, according to Yahoo. “Smart. Savvy. He’s done a great job soaking up what the coaches want him to do. Different techniques. College ball is a little different than the league, especially the Pac-12. He’s definitely doing a good job, though.”

Recent articles:

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 30 -- Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Top 50 Cal Pros: No 31 -- Ed White

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 32 - Wesley Walker, the ultimate deep threat

Linebacker Rocky Cummings is Cal's 22nd commit in the class of 2026

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 33 -- Phil Chenier


Published |Modified
Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.