Thanks to the current collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA, signing draft picks is a fairly straightforward process nowadays.
That said, there can still be a few quirks here and there, and that’s what’s happening with most of the players selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft.
The Houston Texans appeared to have thrown a wrench in the negotiating process for every other pick after running back Dameon Pierce, whom they selected with the second pick of the round, by giving him a little extra on his signing bonus.
That’s causing the agents for every player selected after Pierce to request the same from their teams, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo:
Fourth-round picks have been the slowest to agree to deals, in large part because the #Texans have RB Dameone Pierce (second pick in the round) an extra $25k over the minimum, so now every agent behind him is asking for the same. Below pic: Number of signings as of yesterday. pic.twitter.com/pUTui1Um7g
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 9, 2022
Pierce might be enjoying the extra money, but the rest of the league is probably glaring at the Texans as they try to negotiate with whoever they picked in the fourth round.