How UCLA's Carson Schwesinger Disrupted Rookie Contract Negotiations

The difference between a first-round pick and a second-round pick used to be enormous financially, as first-rounders used to be the only rookies who would receive fully guaranteed contracts. For UCLA's Carson Schwesinger, he missed out by being selected 33rd overall, just one pick after the first round ended.

The good news for him is that first-round players also have team-controlled fifth-year options built into their deals, thus meaning an extension may take a year longer to be negotiated or to kick in. Schwesinger doesn't have that in his current deal.

As of writing, Schwesinger is one of two second-round picks to have signed their rookie contracts, with the other being Houston Texans' wide receiver Jayden Higgins. The reason they signed their deals is because their teams offered them fully guarenteed deals, something that isn't the norm in the NFL.

Schwesinger signed his deal back in May because there wasn't a reason not to, but as a result, the rest of the second-round picks from the 2025 NFL Draft are holding out for guaranteed deals of their own.

CBS Sports' Joel Corry broke down how Schwesinger plays into this big puzzle.

"The Houston Texans got the ball rolling on this year's second-round signings by giving 34th overall pick Jayden Higgins (the second pick in the second round) an unprecedented contract on May 8, a day before the rookie minicamp started," wrote Corry. "Higgins became the first second-round pick in NFL history to get a fully guaranteed contract. McConkey has 62.5% of his fourth-year salary in 2027 fully guaranteed. The other three years of McConkey's contract were completely secure at signing."

"The Cleveland Browns quickly followed suit the next day with Carson Schwesinger, the first pick in the second round, by also fully guaranteeing his entire contract. Without the Texans breaking new ground, Schwesinger's deal may not have been fully guaranteed. Keon Coleman, 2024's first pick of the second round, has 80% of his 2027 compensation with the Buffalo Bills fully guaranteed. That's up from the 70% 2023's first second-round pick Joey Porter Jr. received as a fourth-year guarantee from the Pittsburgh Steelers."

"The second-round signings have come to a grinding halt because of 40th overall pick Tyler Shough, who was the eighth player selected in the round. According to sources, Shough is insisting on a fully guaranteed contract since he is expecting to be the New Orleans Saints' starting quarterback for the 2025 regular-season opener with Derek Carr recently retiring."

Once is a moment, twice is a pattern, three times is a movement and Shough is pushing forth that movement. If Schwesinger doesn't sign a fully guarenteed deal, perhaps more second round picks may have already signed but to be frank, that's not his problem and there is no reason Schwesinger shouldn't have secured his money in the way that he did.

This is the new era of the NFL, and my take is that second-round picks will have fully guaranteed contracts, as with NIL, these players aren't broke anymore, and they can afford to hold out.