The Kansas City Chiefs could soon be dealing with a training camp headache, and other NFL teams are to blame

Practically a month has passed since I last wrote these words: Only two of the 32 players drafted in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft have reached agreements and signed their rookie contracts. 

The second-round draft picks who signed contracts are the reason that the Chiefs and 29 other NFL teams might find themselves in a predicament. Houston Texans WR Jayden Higgins and Cleveland Browns LB Carson Schwesinger received fully guaranteed contracts, setting an entirely new precedent for second-round draft picks. 

The Los Angeles Chargers began their training camp earlier than any other team due to the Hall of Fame Game against the Detroit Lions on July 31. Their second-round draft pick, Ole Miss WR Tre Harris, remains unsigned and has become the first player to hold out from practices officially. Other unsigned second-round draft picks could soon follow suit, including Omarr Norman-Lott. 

Norman-Lott was a full participant in OTAs and mandatory minicamp for Kansas City, likely due to a rookie participation agreement that protected him in case of injury. But my understanding is that those only last for the length of the offseason workout program, not training camp. 

At his draft slot, Norman-Lott is projected to earn a 4-year contract north of $7.2M.  The big question that remains is what percentage of that contract will be guaranteed. A year ago, you'd likely see around $3.5M in guarantees, but now? He was the 63rd pick in the draft, just two slots before the third round, so it's possible that he doesn't reach a fully guaranteed deal, being that he was taken later in the third round.

Thankfully, the Chiefs have one of the later start dates for training camp. There's always a possibility that this resolves itself by the time the team hits the practice fields in Kansas City. If it doesn't, it'd be a big problem for the Chiefs because Norman-Lott is going to need all the practice time he can get, considering the role he's expected to play in 2025. This gridlock between NFL teams and second-round draft picks is, of course, happening as the league faces criticism over sealed collusion findings that the NFL and NFLPA hid from the public eye. It's hard not to wonder how that might impact how quickly things move.