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Report: Deferred signing bonus holding up Quinnen Williams contract

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The New York Jets intend to play RB Le'Veon Bell full-time which could put him at risk for possible injury after being out for a year.

Jets rookies reported to training camp last Friday, but unsigned first-round pick Quinnen Williams did not join them and he remains out as the team edges closer to the first full squad practice of the summer.

According to multiple reports, the issue holding up Williams’s contract is the signing bonus payment schedule. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that most players selected in the top 10 are getting their full signing bonuses this year -- 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa hasn’t signed yet and Giants quarterback Daniel Jones signed on Monday night -- but the Jets have not offered that to Williams at this point.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Jets have offered Williams a lower percentage of his bonus than any of the team’s other first-round picks since the current Collective Bargaining Agreement was put in place in 2011. Pelissero notes that Williams remains a resident of Alabama this year and the difference in taxes between that state and New Jersey would mean a difference of some $100,000 to Williams if the money is deferred to later years.

The Jets didn’t sign quarterback Sam Darnold until camp was fully underway last year. The team’s veterans report on Wednesday, so things may play out in a similar fashion this time around.