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As Pittsburgh Steelers training camp draws near, an unexpected roster issue looms over the quarterback room: rookie signal-caller Drew Allar remains unsigned.
While top draft picks under the NFL’s modern rookie wage scale typically finalize contracts quickly, a unique negotiation stalemate is unfolding around third-round quarterbacks.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Allar is part of an unusual cohort of top rookie passers yet to sign their initial deals.
Speaking on “PFT PM,” Florio pointed out that "the top four quarterbacks selected in April have yet to sign," highlighting a group that includes "both Carson Beck and Drew Allar, third round picks of the Cardinals and Steelers respectively."
The holdout isn't about total dollar figures, which are largely slotted by draft position, but rather structural guarantees and cash flow timing. Agents across the league are continually trying to push fully guaranteed contracts further down the draft board.
"For the guys in Round 3 it could be they want every penny guaranteed," Florio explained. "When the rookie wage scale was first adopted in 2011 only the first 20 players got four-year fully guaranteed deals it has been moved deeper and deeper but it hasn't made it to Round 3. It could be that Beck and Allar are trying to get fully guaranteed four-year deals and then there's the issue of offsets in the guarantees."
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, having a rookie quarterback miss any portion of training camp reps, even a developmental passer selected in the third round, is far from ideal. Critical installation periods and valuable backup snap opportunities are immediately on the line.
While contract holdouts for day-two draft picks were once considered a relic of pre-2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, the aggressive agent push for fully guaranteed third-round money has created an unexpected pre-camp hurdle for General Manager Omar Khan and the Steelers' front office to clear before practices begin.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Why Drew Allar is still unsigned as Steelers training camp arrives
