Published on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
By Scott Benson
Last day of the off-season. The NFL fan's version of the last dy of school. Inquiring minds want to know...
1. Will the Patriots have all of their draft choices signed before the start of camp? It sure looks possible, with second round choice Terrence Wheatley inking his pact yesterday. Jerod Mayo's the sole focus now, and it's hard to see where this could end up as a protracted holdout. The way I see it, the 10th player (or the 29th or the 163rd) in the draft is going to fall somewhere in an indiginous (to the 10th pick) salary/bonus range, isn't he? In that case, you can't help but refer to what the previous 10th pick got. Last year, DT Amobi Okoye of the Texans signed a six-year deal worth $17.7M, with $12.8 in guarantees. Will an inside linebacker's maiden contract just a year later be appreciably different? So there's a jumping off point, with appropriate cost of living adjustments. How long could this take?Â
