Vikings rookie contracts at a glance: Danielle Hunter Dean Berhow-Goll - Jun 30, 11:31 AM (Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn, USA TODAY Sports) The quiet period of the NFL offseason is upon us and we've got roughly one month before training camp starts up and we can continue to start counting down the days before the preseason and ultimately the regular season. The NFL Draft is nearly two months behind us, which has given the rookies drafted plenty of time to sign their deals and plenty of time for undrafted free agents to sign on with teams for the offseason. For those who were drafted, let's take a look at their contract details for 2015. We'll start at the back of the draft and move our way to the top. Note: Contract details are fromspotrac.com Round 3, Pick 24 (88):Danielle Hunter, DE, LSU 2015 Base Salary: $435,000 Signing Bonus: $156,805 Cap Hit: $591,805 Notes: Hunter signed a four-year, $3,077,223 deal that includes a $627,223 signing bonus that's all guaranteed. Hunter joins the fray along the defensive line and could be finding reps from Day 1. He may have been in line for more of a learning role in his first year, but with questions marks surrounding Brian Robison and a pectoral injury, Hunter could find his way onto the field more. Depending on how well he takes to coaching, as one of the most incredible athletes to come out of the draft, he could develop into something special.
Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. named 'rising star' of NFC East Ian McCue - 2 hours ago (Photo: Don McPeak, USA TODAY Sports) ESPN.com asked its four NFC East writers to choose the rising star of the NFC East, and their answers revolved around the one player you would expect. Giants second-year wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. earned three of the four votes. The only one to leave him off his list was Dan Graziano, who covers Big Blue, because he said "the secret is out" on Beckham. He was left out not because he did not deserve the honor, but because Graziano did not believe he qualified for it. Graziano has a point — the 22-year-old is already one of the most iconic players in the NFL, even though he's played a grand total of 12 games in the league. Todd Archer, the Cowboys beat writer, took it a step further. He wrote, "(Beckham) isn't just the rising star of the NFC East. He's probably the rising star of the NFL ... provided he can replicate last year's success." The AP and PFWA offensive rookie of the year had 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014. He missed the first four games because of a hamstring injury, but his profile skyrocketed once he started playing in Week 5. Everything really took off after he made a spectacular one-handed catch in a late November loss to the Cowboys. Graziano's vote went to Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox. The writer noted Cox's strong work against the run and his contributions as a pass-rusher (he had four sacks last year). The three-year veteran earned second-team AP All-Pro honors in 2014 but was one of the division's biggest Pro Bowl snubs.
Aren't the rookie salaries and bonuses slotted according to their draft position? Why is Danielle's bonus so low. When Tyrann Mathieu was drafted in the 3rd round his signing bonus was over $600K
What comes into play is cap space, structure and adjustments. Staying under the cap. Juggle the books, so to speak.
Top 10 contracts: No. 10 - OLB Barkevious Mingo Josh Edwards - 5 hours ago (Photo: Ken Blaze, USA TODAY Sports) Browns247 takes a look at the most expensive contracts on the Cleveland Browns payroll this season. Outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo is the team's tenth most expensive player in 2015. Mingo signed a four-year deal on July 21 in 2013 worth $16,347,001. He will count $4,458,273 against the cap this season. He is under contract for this season and next before becoming a free agent in 2017. In his first two years, he has 84 total tackles, seven sacks and a fumble recovery. In both years, he has had 42 tackles. Those numbers don't warrant a top ten salary on most teams but the Browns have a lot of cap flexibility and no quarterback to occupy that excess. The Browns coaching staff is relying on Mingo to take on a bigger role this season after the loss of Jabaal Sheard to the New England Patriots in free agency. Mingo has been described as the team's best linebacker in coverage. However, he was considered an athletic, pass rushing force out of LSU and the coaches would like to see more of that from him. The linebacker played last season with an injured shoulder and was never at 100-percent during the season. The front office brought in Nate Orchard during the draft and switched Armonty Bryant to outside linebacker to create a competition. Mingo will likely start opposite of Paul Kruger at the other outside linebacker position but he will have to battle to keep his spot. To his credit, he has never been an issue in the locker room and by all reports has responded well to coaching. However, the same could be said of Sheard and eventually it gets to the point where potential needs to meet production.
Some team will lose a quarterback this year and will need to quickly find an experienced reserve for depth. He could stretch his career another year or two if he's willing to give up starter pay.
