Eagles Sign Agholor; Collins To Cowboys

Four of the Eagles’ six draft picks have already agreed to terms on their rookie deals. On Wednesday, Eric Rowe, Randall Evans and Brian Mihalik agreed to terms. First-round pick Nelson Agholor joined them today.

The only draft picks currently without deals are Jordan Hicks and JaCorey Shepherd. 

Signing rookie draft picks is a much easier process under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Andrew Brandt explained why last year for SI.com:

Before the new CBA, the NFL allotted teams a designated amount of salary cap room for its rookies, known as its “pool.” It was then up to the teams to determine how much of the pool went to the first-round pick, the second-rounder, and so on. The practical effect was that first-round picks leveraged a disproportionate amount of the pool, often as much as 60%. And that was just the start of what first-rounders were able to leverage…

Now, instead of each team having an allotment, each pick has a predetermined amount. In other words, a player and his agent know the exact dollar figures the moment he is drafted. They also know the length; every contract is for four years, with first-round picks subject to a team option for a fifth year, also at predetermined rates. As for salaries, the vast majority of drafted players have four years of non-guaranteed minimum salaries, accompanied by a signing bonus that’s not negotiated by the agent, but predetermined by the CBA.

Collins Signs With Cowboys

LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins has signed with the Cowboys, according to multiple reports.

Here’s the deal on La’el Collins deal with Dallas: Cowboys fully guaranteed the 3-year, $1.65 million deal, per source. Fully guaranteed.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 7, 2015

Projected to be taken in the first round, Collins went undrafted following news that police wanted to speak with him about the murder of Brittney Mills, a woman thought to be Collins’ ex-girlfriend, and her unborn child. He has not been named a suspect in the case.

Though the Eagles reportedly showed some interest in Collins during the pre-draft process, Chip Kelly told reporters that they decided not to put him on their draft board.

“It wasn’t a hard decision, no. No, it was just – really, I don’t think we should be talking about draft picks,” he said. “I think two people have lost their lives, and I think that’s a little bit more important than that. We weren’t really thinking about the draft at that point in time with him.”

A report listed the Eagles as one of seven teams that were showing interest in Collins post-draft. Multiple sources indicated earlier today, however, that the Eagles were not one of the teams seriously in pursuit.