The Green Bay Packers almost have their entire 2016 draft class under contract. Coming into Thursday, only two of the team's seven draft picks had not yet signed their contracts. Now that number is down to one, as we learned from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Silverstein this afternoon that Kyler Fackrell has now finalized his rookie deal:
#Packers 3rd-round pick Kyler Fackrell has agreed to terms on a new contract. That leaves 1st-rounder Kenny Clark as the only pick unsigned.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) May 12, 2016
Like all rookie contracts under the current CBA, Fackrell's deal contract will be for a four-year term and will have dollar amounts that are tightly prescribed. Here is the projected amount for the 88th pick in the 2016 draft, thanks to Over The Cap:
- Signing Bonus: $694,044
- Total value: $3,034,044
- 2016 base salary: $450,000; cap hit $623,511
- 2017 base salary: $540,000; cap hit $713,511
- 2018 base salary: $630,000; cap hit $803,511
- 2019 base salary: $720,000; cap hit $893,511
Fackrell now becomes the Packers' sixth-highest-paid outside linebacker, behind Clay Matthews (cap hit of $13.75 million), Julius Peppers ($10.5M), Nick Perry ($5M), Datone Jones* ($2.455M) and Lerentee McCray ($800,000). Because he had not yet signed his contract last week, Fackrell would have signed an injury agreement when he arrived in Green Bay prior to participating in rookie minicamp.
* We're counting Jones as an outside linebacker here due to the team's comments that he is moving to the "elephant" pass-rush position.
With first-round pick Kenny forced to stay away from Green Bay until the completion of UCLA's spring quarter, it is possible that the Packers may not sign him and therefore lock in the entire draft class until that time. Stay tuned.