With nearly 75 percent of all draft picks under contract less than three weeks after the draft ended, two teams have done nothing to increase that percentage.
Neither the Broncos nor the Rams have signed a single pick.
Last year, the Broncos waited until June. This week, it’s expected that all of the picks will be signed in the next week or two.
For Denver, there’s no specific reason for it; that’s simply the way the tasks are scheduled. In St. Louis, there’s a reason.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, coach Jeff Fisher once again intends to delay the process in order to ensure that the players are prepared to handle the infusion of cash that they’ll be realizing.
The goal remains providing the draft picks with multiple financial lessons before giving them their signing bonuses. The Rams want the players to understand more about what it means to have significant money before giving it to them.
In the past, the lesson has included an armored vehicle showing up with $1 million in cash, and Fisher then showing the players how much goes to taxes and how much goes to the agent before the player starts getting paid in 17 installments that ultimately need to last for 52 weeks. Regardless of whether Fisher literally backs up the Brinks truck in 2014, the Rams won’t sign their rookies until the Rams think they are ready.