Bear Digest

Player reported holding up second-round signings isn't a Bears pick

One player has been identified by a CBS Sports columnist for being the holdup preventing others in Round 2 from signing. including Bears receiver Luther Burden III.

Gene Chamberlain

Wide receiver Luther Burden III (87) prepares to block for a receiver during a drill at Bears rookie camp.
Wide receiver Luther Burden III (87) prepares to block for a receiver during a drill at Bears rookie camp. / David Banks-Imagn Images

Considering first overall pick Caleb Williams last year did not sign until just before training camp, the inability of the Bears to sign their three second-round picks by mid-June hardly seems like a problem.

In fact, it could be a simple matter of one or two other second-round players around the league breaking up the logjam of unsigned players in that round. Only two of the 32 second-rounders have signed league-wide, but now it seems apparent one player in particular might be the issue.

According to Joel Corry, a former NFL and NBA agent who writes a column for CBS Sports, it's the player chosen one spot after Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III in Round 2 who is the instigator, so to speak. It's Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, the 40th pick.

Corry cites a source saying Shough wants a fully guaranteed contract through all four years, based on the expectation he'll be the starting Saints quarterback. It's not necessarily a case at the moment where other second-rounders are demanding fully guaranteed ocntracts, but they have to wait to see if Shough gets his. Then they would want it.

Corry mentions Redmond's pick, although not specifically his name, as part of a group of five waiting to see if Shough gets what he wants.

"The agents representing the players taken with the third through seventh picks in the second round (35-39) are in a holding pattern given that they are well aware of Shough's contract demands," Corry wrote. "This is because of the NFLPA keeping the agents abreast of key developments in a draft round that could potentially impact the players they represent."

And then this little bit of irony from Corry: "The same type of coordination by NFL teams is collusion, which is prohibited by the CBA."

Redmond is the seventh pick in Round 2. If Shough gets his fully guaranteed contract, Redmond and the other four picks taken just before Shough will want to join the first two picks of the round in getting guaranteed four-year deals, too.

Whether this bit of generosity reaches all the way to the Bears' Ozzy Trapilo at No. 56 or Shemar Turner at No. 62 is anyone's guess right now. It would do those two no good to sign deals without fully guaranteed contracts if others ahead of them in the round are going to get it, so they also need to wait.

While Shough is the one Curry says is the sticking point right now, there is no doubt the real spark to this flame was Houston giving 34th overall pick Jayden Higgins a fully guaranteed contract.

Then 33rd pick Carson Schwesinger obviously had to get the same from Cleveland when he signed. So 35, 36 and 37, 38 and 39 are waiting to see if 40 gets his guaranteed cash.

It's not like the second-round picks were signing contracts without any guaranteed money. They were getting guarantees last year through the third year of their contracts and some even went into Year 4.

Corry points out the last money guaranteed for a second-round in Year 4 in 2024 was to Cardinals cornerback Max Melton, the 11th pick in the round. He only has $50,000 of his fourth year guaranteed. After him, none of the second rounders got guaranteed money in their final year.

While Shough is the current sticking point, the Texans appear to be the ones who like throwing around money more than other teams.

Not only did they give Higgins the fully guaranteed fourth year, but Curry points out it was the Texans in 2022 who gave Jalen Pitre a contract fully guaranteed through the third year when it hadn't been done before.

If the Bears have unsigned players in Round 2 by the June 22 start of camp, they know who to blame.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.