The Indianapolis Colts haven’t wasted any time getting their 2015 draft class under contract. The team signed deals with five of the eight drafted rookies on Wednesday.
Per the IndyStar, standard deals were issued to these players:
"Signed Wednesday to standard, four-year deals were fourth-round pick Clayton Geathers, fifth-round pick David Parry, sixth-rounders Josh Robinson and Armalo Herrera and seventh-round choice Denzell Good."
Not long ago it would have taken weeks if not months to work out these deals as the rookie wage scale was not in effect. The tone would always be set by the number one overall pick in the draft and it led to exorbitant salaries by player who’d never even seen the field.
Sam Bradford was the last player to receive one of these such deals and his 2010 contract was worth over $78 million. Bradford hasn’t proven to be worth anywhere near that amount and rookie wage scales were used as a bargaining chip during the lockout in 2011.
Geathers was the highest pick out of the first five to sign and will earn just over $2.8 million over the next four years. The Colts can basically look at a scale and tell a player what he will make, effectively taking negotiating out of the process.
All of the team’s rookies are expected to be the Rookie Mini Camp this weekend, regardless of whether they are signed or not. The team should have the remaining member of the 2015 class signed over the next couple of weeks, if not sooner.