Signing top NFL draft picks used to be hard. Holdouts were common, with stalemates occasionally lasting deep into summer.
Not anymore. That was the old world of post-draft negotiations, before a rookie wage scale streamlined the process considerably.
Case and point: Kyler Murray has already signed his contract. The No. 1 overall pick did so Thursday before Arizona’s rookie minicamp, locking down a four-year contract worth a fully-guaranteed $35.158 million, with a fifth-year option after that.
The deal was signed without worry of a lower pick eclipsing the deal, a major holdup under the pre-2011 CBA.