The Seahawks wasted little time getting their first-round pick under contract.
The Seattle Seahawks’ first draft pick is the first to sign his rookie contract.
On Friday the team announced that defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, this year’s No. 16 overall selection, has agreed to the standard four-year contract (with a fifth-year option) for first-round picks. He signed his deal following the end of Friday’s rookie minicamp practice.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero notes that Murphy’s contract is worth $16,083,122. Since the CBA changed the rookie wage scale in 2011, this has typically been a drama-free procedure. Contracts are pre-determined by draft position, so the wiggle room for negotiating is as minimal as can be.
Last season the Seahawks did have a slight issue with Devon Witherspoon, who was the last rookie of the 2023 class to sign his contract. There was a bit of a hold-up over the payment schedule of his signing bonus. Teams generally prefer to defer those signing bonuses in later years.
The Seahawks will need to create some cap space to get all of their draft picks under contract, which John Schneider acknowledged.
Seahawks will be $1.3 million over the cap once they sign their draft picks, via https://t.co/fz1zoQdlgU. John Schneider says on Seattle Sports 710 “we’re pretty tight” against the cap. But he says they have planned for ways to create the space they need….
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) May 2, 2024
With pen to paper, we can officially say that Byron Murphy is a Seattle Seahawk!
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