EJ Manuel signs his Buffalo Bills rookie contract

The most important player on the Buffalo Bills is now under contract, as the team has announced that rookie quarterback EJ Manuel signed on the dotted line earlier Friday.

Bills franchise policy prevents them from disclosing the parameters of the deal, but John Wawrow of the Associated Press has the numbers: it's a four-year deal worth $8.9 million, with a $4.84 million signing bonus. There's also a good chance that the contract is fully guaranteed (though that has not yet been confirmed anywhere), as each of the Top 16 picks in 2012 had fully guaranteed deals.

Manuel, 23, was the Bills' first-round selection (No. 16 overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft, and the first quarterback that the team had taken with its first pick in any draft process in franchise history. He has been taking second- and third-team reps throughout spring practices and this past week's mandatory OTA, but if the Florida State product progresses well this summer under the tutelage of Doug Marrone and Nathaniel Hackett, there's a very good chance that he'll start early in his rookie season.

All eight of Buffalo's 2013 draft picks are now under contract, and the team has one more big fish to fry (Jairus Byrd) on the contract front before training camp begins on July 28.