49ers, Alfred Collins Reportedly Land $10M Contract as Most 2nd-Round Rookies Hold Out

The saga of many the second-round picks in the 2025 NFL draft not having signed their contracts could be coming to an end after Alfred Collins, the No. 43 overall selection, agreed to his rookie deal with the San Francisco 49ers.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Collins and the 49ers reached agreement on a four-year, $10.3 million contract that includes more than $9 million in guaranteed money.

Schefter noted Collins' deal is "expected to trigger" more second-round picks to sign. In fact, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Detroit Lions offensive lineman Tate Ratledge, Las Vegas Raiders receiver Jack Bech and Chicago Bears defensive tackle Shemar Turner agreed to terms on their respective rookie contracts on Thursday night. Buffalo Bills defensive tackle TJ Sanders agreed to a four-year, $10.6 million contract, via Schefter.

Safety Nick Emmanwori and the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a fully guaranteed contract on Thursday, according to Schefter:

Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Dallas Cowboys defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku also agreed to terms on Thursday:

Prior to Thursday, Carson Schwesinger of the Cleveland Browns (No. 33 overall) and Jayden Higgins of the Houston Texans (No. 34) were the only second-round picks who had signed their deals.

The Texans are likely the main culprit for second-round rookie contract situation when they signed Higgins to his four-year, $11.7 million deal in May.

Per ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime, Higgins became the first second-round pick in NFL history to receive a fully guaranteed contract.

Schwesinger, who was drafted one spot ahead of Higgins, used his leverage to also negotiate a fully-guaranteed rookie deal worth $11.8 million over four years from the Browns soon after.

The 49ers didn't go so far to fully guarantee Collins' deal, but they did guarantee him $9 million. ESPN's Nick Wagoner pointed out Max Melton, who was taken at the same spot as Collins in the 2024 draft (No. 43), only got $6.93 million guaranteed from the Arizona Cardinals.

Tre Harris, the 55th overall pick in this year's draft, is the first training camp holdout of the 2025 season because he has not yet signed his rookie deal with the Los Angeles Chargers amid the ongoing standoff between second-round picks and teams.

Even though all rookie contracts are assigned a slot value that can't be negotiated, teams and players will haggle over the guaranteed language in the deal. This has been a sticking point for first-round pick Shemar Stewart and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Per John Breech of CBS Sports, Stewart's camp is unhappy because the Bengals added "new language to his deal" that would allow them to void any future guarantees "if he were to get into trouble."

Collins' agreement means the 49ers now have their entire 2025 draft class under contract as they open training camp. Their rookies reported on Tuesday, with veterans set to join on July 22.

The 49ers went very heavy on defense early in the draft, using each of their first five selections to add players on that side of the ball.

Collins was a five-year player at Texas, recording seven sacks in 64 games at defensive tackle. The 23-year-old has a chance to earn a starting job on the interior of San Francisco's line if he has a strong camp and preseason.