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Travon Walker's Jaguars Rookie Contract Details Revealed; Will Include $24.4M Bonus
May 3, 2022
Surging to the top of 2022 NFL draft boards provided quite the boost to Travon Walker's bank account.
ESPN's Field Yates shared the terms of the No. 1 overall pick's rookie deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars:
The broad contract details for every draftee are laid out in the collective bargaining agreement's rookie wage scale.
By the time the draft rolled around last Thursday, Walker had emerged by the favorite to land with Jacksonville. It capped off quite the rise for the Georgia edge-rusher.
Coming out of the Super Bowl, Walker wasn't even a first-round pick in Bleacher Report's mock draft. He had moved up to 14th in March upon the conclusion of the NFL Scouting Combine and then No. 3 as April was getting underway.
There wasn't a wide financial gulf if Walker had merely been a top-five pick instead of first overall. Kayvon Thibodeaux, who was taken fifth overall by the New York Giants, will earn a nearly $20 million signing bonus and $31.3 million guaranteed.
Winding up in the latter stages of the first round would've made a significant difference. Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd was the No. 27 overall pick and will join Walker in Jacksonville. His rookie deal guarantees him $12.9 million with a $6.6 million signing bonus.
It's unclear whether Walker has officially signed his first contract with the Jaguars.
Because of the rookie wage scale, the negotiations are often straightforward. On occasion, offset language can be a sticking point between the team and a player's representatives. Offset language allows a team to potentially recoup some money after it releases a player before his rookie deal expired.
That wasn't included in Trevor Lawrence's rookie deal with Jacksonville in 2021, so it presumably won't present a hurdle with Walker, either.