Why 49ers Rookie Alfred Collins Still Hasn't Signed his Contract

When Alfred Collins sat out of rookie minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp, the 49ers said he had a calf injury that he reaggravated at his Pro Day before the NFL Draft. And that's probably true.

But there's another reason Collins didn't do anything with the 49ers this offseason -- he still hasn't signed his contract. Meanwhile, every other player the 49ers drafted has signed their contract. So what's the deal with Collins?

Keep in mind, Collins was a second-round pick this year. And as of now, only two second-round picks have signed their contracts -- Jayden Higgins and Carson Schwesinger, the top two picks of Round 2. Each signed a fully guaranteed deal, which is unprecedented for a second-round pick. In the past, only first-round picks got fully guaranteed deals. Now, all the second-round picks, including Collins, want fully guaranteed contracts as well. And 30 NFL teams must decide what to do.

The 49ers probably want to wait and see what other teams do with their second-round picks before deciding on Collins. If the rest of the teams start giving out fully-guaranteed deals, the 49ers will have no choice but to follow suit. But if these rookies start to cave as camp rolls around and they sign the deals that have been offered to them, the 49ers might hold firm.

Either way, the 49ers need Collins on the field for all of training camp because they're counting on him to start Week 1 against the Seahawks. He can't afford to miss any more practices.