Why offensive lineman Anthony Belton is the only draft pick left to sign his rookie contract with the Packers

The Green Bay Packers reached an agreement and officially signed wide receiver Matthew Golden to his first NFL contract on Monday. For a first-round pick, these deals are fully-guaranteed and the signing bonus amount is slotted, so there isn't much room for negotiation—just minor details, like offset language and timing of payment. The Packers will also have a fifth-year option.

Now, the Packers have already signed seven of their eight draft picks. Beyond Golden, wide receiver Savion Williams, edge defender Barryn Sorrell, edge/linebacker Collin Oliver, defensive tackle Warren Brinson, cornerback Micah Robinson, and guard John Williams are all under contract for the next four seasons.

Now, the only player left is offensive lineman Anthony Belton, the second-round pick. But why?

Second round, an inflection point

While first-round picks sign fully-guaranteed contracts, that's not how it works for other rookies. The later the player is drafted, the lower are the guarantees. Just check, pick by pick, how much the Packers' players will receive—the information came from ESPN's Rob Demovsky.

WR Matthew Golden
4 years/$17.575 million (fully guaranteed) + 5th-year option

WR Savion Williams
4 years/$6.292 million ($1.216 million guaranteed)

EDGE Barryn Sorrell
4 years/$5.141 million ($941k guaranteed)

EDGE/LB Collin Oliver
4 years/$4.604 million (404k guaranteed)

DT Warren Brinson
4 years/$4.426 million (226k guaranteed)

CB Micah Robinson
4 years/4.313 million (113k guaranteed)

G John Williams
4 years/4.301 million (101k guaranteed)

The problem for Anthony Belton is that the second-round pick is the inflection point in terms of guarantees. Every year, the numbers go up and up by pick. In 2025, for the first time ever, two second-round picks signed fully-guaranteed deals as well: Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger and Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins, the 33rd and 34th pick in the draft.

As the 54th overall pick, Belton won't have a fully-guaranteed deal, but he and his representation fight for an increase over last year's numbers.

In 2024, the 54th overall pick was Browns defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. He signed a $7.069 million contract, with $4.379 million in guarantees, which is 61.94% of the deal. This year, in addition to the natural inflation of the total salary based on this year's cap, each player will demand a higher percentage in guarantees. The negotiation, then, becomes about how much this increase will be.

The second round is a tough area of contention, but it's not anything close to what happened before the rookie-wage scale era. It's normal, and it should be soon solved for everyone involved. These days, it's rare for rookie players to reach training camp (or even OTAs) without a deal in place.