Notre Dame defensive back Benjamin Morrison speaks to the media at the 2025 NFL combine. Clark Wade/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New 49ers signing could be very good news for Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 12:10 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison has yet to sign his rookie deal, but a new NFL development could see it happening sooner or later.

The NFL had a second-round shakeup this season when the Cleveland Browns and the Houston Texans both signed their rookies, Carson Schwesinger and Jayden Higgens, respectively, to a fully guaranteed deal for the first time in NFL history. As a result, the remaining 30 second-round picks (which includes Morrison) decided not to sign their deals in hopes of getting the same — and if a player does not have a deal by training camp, they cannot participate.

That number went down by one on Wednesday night, though, as the San Francisco 49ers officially signed their second-round pick, defensive lineman Alfred Collins, to his deal. Collins got $9 million of his $10.3 million deal guaranteed, which comes out to 88% — that could trigger a lot of other second-round picks to sign, including Morrison himself.

The next big domino in the second round has fallen: 49ers’ second-round pick Alfred Collins, the No. 43rd overall selection, reached agreement tonight on a four-year, $10.3 million deal that includes over $9 million guaranteed and now is expected to trigger multiple second-round… pic.twitter.com/iiIWgOCh7p
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2025

Morrison was picked by the Buccaneers at pick No. 53. Last year, that pick went to the Washington Commanders, and they selected tight end Ben Sinnot. Sinnot's four-year deal was for a total of $7,227,950 and he got $4,597,851 of that guaranteed — that's about 64% of the deal guaranteed. This year, per the NFL CBA, Morrison is set to make $8,209,282 on his rookie deal across four years, and if you guarantee 88% of that like Collins got, Morrison would be guaranteed to see $7,224,168. To show how impactful Cleveland and Houston's signings were, Morrison would potentially get what is essentially Sinnot's entire deal guaranteed if he got the same deal that Collins did for the 49ers.

It's unknown if Morrison will end up getting that exact guarantee percentage like Collins did, but it does likely mean that he and other second-round picks will sign their deals fairly soon. And whatever Morrison's number ends up being, he's still likely to get more guarantees than Sinnot did at his draft position last year.