Zach Wilson remains one of the few 2021 rookies that hasn’t signed with his team ahead of the start of training camp this week. The New York Jets are eager to get their quarterback in the building before the month is out, but haven’t been able to get him to put his name on the dotted line.
According to a recent report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Wilson and the Jets have hit a major snag over two issues in the rookie’s deal.
“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Jets and quarterback Zach Wilson have struck multiple roadblocks on the path to a contract for the second overall pick in the draft,” Florio wrote. “Issues include (but aren’t limited to) cash flow and offset language.”
Florio provided specifics on each of the two issues that still need to be addressed with Wilson’s rookie contract.
“As to cash flow, the Jets want to defer millions in signing bonus money earned by Wilson when he executes the contract to 2022. The recent precedent for players taken in the top two include all signing bonus money paid promptly…
“As to offset, it’s always a simple matter of whether a guarantee is a true guarantee. If the Jets can protect themselves by forcing someone else to pay the balance of the four-year contract if Wilson busts, it’s not a true and full guarantee. Players want the offset language removed (few actually get that term) in order to receive a true and full guarantee.”
The contract squabble between the Jets and QB Zach Wilson arises from issues like signing bonus cash flow and offsets for guaranteed money. https://t.co/c5djjHGX9W
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) July 27, 2021
Without Wilson, the Jets options at quarterback are thin. James Morgan and Mike White are the only two players rostered at the position headed into training camp and neither one has much NFL experience.
As Florio points out, that should give Wilson a fair amount of leverage in negotiating the final language of his rookie deal. The No. 2 overall pick is obviously eager to get to work, so it shouldn’t be long until he’s in New York with the Jets.
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