With less than 50 days until the NFL season begins, many rookies have their contracts signed and are hitting the field for training camp.
The 2022 Hall of Fame Game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders, which kicks off preseason play, is Thursday, Aug. 4. Week 1 of the regular season begins Thursday, Sept. 8 with the Buffalo Bills visiting the defending-Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
Offensive tackle Trevor Penning (Northern Iowa), center Tyler Linderbaum (Iowa) and running back Breece Hall (Iowa State) highlighted the 2022 NFL Draft prospects who heard their names called back in April.
Let's take a look at the contracts those three signed, and how they could impact their new teams.
Picked at No. 19 overall, the physically imposing Penning (6'7", 321 lbs), the UNI Panther will likely slot into one of the two tackle spots in New Orleans.
Right tackle Ryan Ramczyk is a veteran, but missed multiple games due to injury last year. The team's left tackle from last year, Terron Armstead, signed with the Miami Dolphins in free agency.
Penning's contract: Four years, $14,143,316 — all guaranteed — with a fifth-year team option for 2026. His signing bonus was $7,466,048.
Linderbaum was the consensus best center in the 2022 draft and has quickly impressed the likes of MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Here's how Ravens staff writer Clifton Brown summed up Linderbaum's performance so far:
Rookie center Tyler Linderbaum looked sharp and decisive during OTAs and minicamp. Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman joked that he wanted to keep Linderbaum "laying in bed shaking every night" worrying about his responsibilities. But the Ravens are resting easy with the decision to draft Linderbaum.
Linderbaum's contract: Four years, $13,238,286 — all guaranteed — with a fifth-year team option for 2026. His signing bonus was $6,807,844.
Hall joins a very crowded Jets running back room that includes Michael Carter, Ty Johnson and La'Mical Perine just to name three.
As one reporter on the team's website wrote: "Six strong RB candidates will be competing for three or four positions on the 53-man roster."
Hall's contract: Four years, $9,014,774 contract with a $3,736,200 signing bonus and $6,375,487 million in guarantees.