Commanders sign four 2022 draft picks to rookie contracts

Between the 2022 NFL draft and signing free agents Trai Turner and Alex Erickson to contracts, the Washington Commanders have been extremely busy putting the finishing touches on their roster for the 2022 season.

But let’s focus on the draft, where Washington added eight players with their allotment of picks. Just a week after the showcase the team’s rookie class reported for rookie minicamp, which took place on Friday and Saturday.

Though only a two-day camp, the session generated excitement amongst fans, as reporters tweeted out videos of the camp. From Sam Howell linking up with Jahan Dotson for the first time and Brian Robinson showing off his hands on an out route, fans are counting down the days until training camp and the preseason.

While Dotson and Robinson are still waiting to sign their rookie deals, Howell was one of the first Commanders rookies to put pen to paper, joining fifth-rounder Cole Turner and seventh-rounders Chris Paul and Christian Holmes, per the transaction wire.

The Commanders signed four draft picks to rookie contracts.

It’s not a surprise the Commanders only signed half of their draft class. In most circumstances, only a quarter of a team’s draftees sign contracts within two weeks of the draft’s completion. As long as Dotson, Phidarian Mathis, Robinson and Percy Butler are signed before training camp, there’s no reason to panic.

The financial terms of the contracts weren’t revealed, but that’s largely because rookie contracts are predetermined by the rookie wage scale.

Teams have maximum and minimum amounts they can spend on rookies based on draft slot. Each contract spans four years and the first year cap number is paramount in determining the total value of the deal. Basically, it’s a salary cap within the overall salary cap, only there’s very little negotiation wiggle room.

As the first pick of the fifth round, Howell should’ve signed a $4.021 million contract with a $361,599 signing bonus and $759,400 cap hit. Taken five picks after the former UNC quarterback, Turner will have signed for $3.998 million over four years with a $338,880 bonus and $789,720 cap hit.

As seventh-round picks, Paul and Holmes’ contracts aren’t worth much less than Howell’s and Turner’s but their respective signing bonuses and cap hits are noticeably different. According to Spotrac, Paul inked a $3.764 million deal with a $104,44 signing bonus and $732,111 cap hit, whereas Holmes’ contract is worth $3.753 million including a $93,880 bonus and $728,470 cap hit.

The hope is each of these draft picks will sign second contracts with the Commanders. If Howell ends up leading that charge, you’d have to think the team found its starting quarterback of the future.

In the meantime, we’ll be waiting patiently for Dotson, Mathis, Robinson and Butler to follow suit and sign their first NFL contract.