Last week, the Raiders signed No. 8 overall pick Rolando McClain to a five-year, $40 million contract that includes $23 million in guaranteed money. The signing was expected to accelerate negotiations for the No. 9 overall pick, Bills running back C.J. Spiller, but optimism regarding those negotiations remains scarce. However, another apparent contract could pigeon-hole Spiller and his agent, Gary Wichard, into quicker negotiations.
The No. 10 overall pick, Jaguars defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, has reportedly agreed to terms on a five-year, $28 million deal with $17.5 million in guarantees. The Jaguars have announced the deal, but Alualu's agent, Ken Zuckerman, insists that no contract has been agreed upon, though he also told reporters that he suggested that Alualu take the deal. The Jaguars, meanwhile, insist that they didn't jump the gun on making the announcement, and that the deal is done.
The half-way point between the McClain and Alualu deals is five years, $34 million, with $20.25 million guaranteed. Last year's No. 9 overall pick, B.J. Raji, signed a five-year, $22.9 million deal with $17.7 million guaranteed. We've said all along that the likely holdup in negotiations is a disagreement on the maximum value of the contract stemming from performance escalators and other intricate bonuses. Excuses are running short for both sides; Spiller hasn't missed much in camp, but that's likely to change soon, and Wichard has lost much of his negotiating power now that parameters have been set.