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Life just got easier for the Kansas City Chiefs days before training camp, and they didn't even have to lift a finger

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Charles Goldman | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 11:26 AM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs may have just avoided a training camp headache, and they didn't even have to lift a finger.

You might have heard that the league was at an impasse with second-round draft picks, which left the majority of those players unsigned and ineligible to participate in training camps. This came after Houston Texans WR Jayden Higgins and Cleveland Browns LB Carson Schwesinger received fully guaranteed contracts, setting a new precedent for second-round draft picks.

On Wednesday evening, DT Alfred Collins, a San Francisco 49ers second-round draft pick, crossed the picket line and signed his rookie contract . He received $9 million in guaranteed money on his four-year $10.3 million deal. This move is expected to get the ball rolling for several second-round draft picks around the league, but it's especially helpful for the Chiefs, who have yet to sign DT Omarr Norman-Lott.

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Chiefs now have a clear path to sign DT Omarr Norman-Lott before training camp report day

There were four defensive tackles taken in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft: T.J. Sanders (41), Alfred Collins (43), Shemar Turner (62), and Omarr Norman-Lott (63). The fact that Collins was a player selected ahead of Norman-Lott makes it somewhat easier for the team to determine fair financials for a rookie contract.

Chiefs OL Kingsley Suamataia was the 63rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft just last year. Only $3.4 million of his $6.4 million contract is fully guaranteed, which accounts for 53.1 percent. At pick No. 43 in the 2025 NFL Draft, Collins received roughly 88% of his contract guaranteed. Norman-Lott, at pick No. 63, will probably see around 80% of his projected $7.2 million contract guaranteed.

That should likely avoid a "holdout" in Kansas City for Norman-Lott, but there are still some things that need to transpire for other second-round draft picks to sign their rookie deals. One of the other hold-ups has been Saints QB Tyler Shough, who reportedly wants a fully guaranteed contract after he's expected to become the starting quarterback in New Orleans following Derek Carr's abrupt retirement.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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