Kansas City Chiefs draft picks have begun to report to the team’s facilities for rookie minicamp, which begins on Saturday. As a result, players are able to put pen to paper on their rookie contracts.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, former Purdue edge rusher George Karlaftis has signed his four-year rookie contract with the team and it is fully-guaranteed. The 21-year-old was the No. 30 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft and one of two first-round picks made by Kansas City.
He is the first Chiefs draft pick to sign his rookie deal, with more likely to come this weekend at minicamp. The team traditionally likes to get these guys under contract early and get them shifting their attention from the business side of getting drafted to the football side of it.
Kansas City reached agreement with first-round pick George Karlaftis – the No. 30 overall selection – on a four-year, fully-guaranteed contract, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 6, 2022
According to projections from Spotrac, Karlaftis’ contract is expected to be worth $11,935,481 in total value, with a $5,860,350 signing bonus. It also will include a fifth-year option for 2025. The contract is estimated to count $2.17 million against the salary cap in 2022.
We’ll have exact numbers on the contract for you when they’re made available.
With the current rookie wage scale, signing contracts is merely a formality at this point. There is no reason for players to hold-out in contract negotiations on rookie deals under the current CBA. That means it’s only a matter of time before the others in the Chiefs’ draft class put pen to paper on their standard four-year contracts.
