Shortly after the NFL Draft wrapped up, the New England Patriots got to work, quickly signing more than a dozen different players as UDFAs. Among those players were some notable names, like UCF running back Myles Montgomery and Culver-Stockton wide receiver Kyle Dixon.
Now, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe has shared the list of contract guarantees for the Patriots’ UDFAs. Volin also noted, “Guaranteed base salary is only collected if player is cut and doesn’t play.” So, these players have the potential to earn more than their guaranteed base.
Montgomery is the UDFA signing who is guaranteed the most money with the Patriots. He got a $25,ooo signing bonus and a $247,500 base salary. Volin noted that his base salary is the same as the full-season rate for a practice squad player.
Channing Canada, a defensive back out of TCU, has the second-highest overall salary as a UDFA on the Patriots. Like Montgomery, he’s getting the practice squad base salary of $247,500. However, he got a slightly smaller signing bonus than Montgomery. Also getting a lot of attention at Rookie Minicamp has been Kyle Dixon. His salary and base are both the third-highest in the class at $252,500 and $235,000, respectively.
New England Patriots UDFA Myles Montgomery Shows Off a Quirk in the NFL Draft
GettyMyles Montgomery
The New England Patriots were looking to solidify their running back depth this NFL Draft. So, they used a seventh-round pick on Jam Miller out of Alabama. Shortly after the draft, they then signed Myles Montgomery, another running, back to his UDFA deal.
That deal for Montgomery comes with a $25,000 signing bonus and a $247,500 base salary. It came after the Patriots had to fight with several other NFL teams to land Montgomery, which did drive up the price a bit. However, that’s notably more than what Miller was guaranteed, getting $124,940 from the Patriots.
The reason for the gap goes back to a quirk in the NFL Draft. The rookie pay scale pretty much locks in the pay for players who are selected. On top of that, there’s little room to negotiate at all. The team that selected a player has the rights to sign them. That’s not the case for UDFA players. They can negotiate with multiple teams and drive up the price, like Montgomery did.
Myles Montgomery, Jam Miller Among the RBs Battling for Roster Spot With Patriots
GettyMyles Montgomery
The top two running back spots for the New England Patriots are pretty well secured. That leaves the third running back spot open. Myles Montgomery and Jam Miller are in steep competition for it, with Chad Graff of The Athletic sharing that Miller is a slight frontrunner. Also in the competition are Lan Larison and Terrell Jennings.
“This draft class was poor at the running back position, which helps explain why the Patriots waited to take one (they selected Jam Miller in the seventh round). But seventh-round picks are far from guaranteed to make the roster. So while Miller may be the front-runner for the third (and likely final) running back spot, it’s not a given,” Graff wrote.
“Terrell Jennings was solid last season and has familiarity with this coaching staff. Lan Larison was an intriguing undrafted option a year ago before he suffered a season-ending broken foot during the preseason. One of those three will likely earn the last spot on the Patriots roster.”
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