1:32pm: Patriots third-round offensive lineman Joe Thuney has also signed his rookie deal, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets. For Thuney, it’ll be a four-year deal worth $3.54MM with a signing bonus of $773K. The offensive lineman out of North Carolina State drew interest from clubs thanks to his versatility — he started all along the O-Line in college.
1:28pm: The Patriots aren’t wasting any time locking up their 2016 draft class, having already reached deals with four of their draftees from last weekend, including top pick Cyrus Jones, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
Fourth-round receiver Malcolm Mitchell, sixth-round offensive lineman Ted Karras, and seventh-round wideout Devin Lucien have also agreed to terms with New England, according to reports from ESPN’s Adam Caplan, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, and ESPN’s Mike Reiss, respectively (all Twitter links).
The rookie contracts for the four draft picks who have reached agreements with the Pats will look like this, per Over The Cap:
- 2-60: Cyrus Jones, DB (Alabama): $4.007MM total value, $1.114MM signing bonus
- 4-112: Malcolm Mitchell, WR (Georgia): $2.918MM total value, $578K signing bonus
- 6-221: Ted Karras, OL (Illinois): $2.17MM total value, $100K signing bonus
- 7-225: Devin Lucien, WR (Arizona State): $2.425MM total value, $85K signing bonus
With four draftees having agreed to terms, the Pats still have more than half of their nine-man draft class to lock up, including two third-round picks — quarterback Jacoby Brissett and defensive tackle Vincent Valentine.
Although contracts for third-rounders can sometimes be trickier to negotiate than deals for later-round picks, Brissett appears to be proceeding without any formal representation. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald notes (via Twitter) that the signal-caller is being advised by Abe Elam, but doesn’t officially have an agent.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Good job patriots!! Cyrus Jones and your other draftees will be great!