Negotiating With Rookies

[Schneed10]

Well training camps don't usually begin until the end of July, so if you start negotiating in the beginning of July there's no reason the rookies can't get into training camp on time.

Secondly, all of our draft picks are attending OTAs right now, even though they don't have contracts. So we don't have to worry about them missing time.

The reason you wait until July is because on June 1 a round of cuts are made around the NFL for salary cap purposes. Usually teams spend the month of June clearing salary cap space or scouring the waiver wire for recently released players that they can sign on the cheap and plug roster holes (like how the Eagles grabbed Trotter last year).

Negotiations usually start taking place once everyone has their salary cap ducks in a row. Figure late June or early July.