As the first week of the regular season arrives, one draft pick remains unsigned. Will he be signing soon?
On Sunday, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer provided an encouraging response to a reader question about Judkins’s status: “I believe Judkins will be back with the Browns soon, possibly even sometime this week as they prepare for the Bengals. If he makes it back early enough in the week, he could possibly contribute some in the opener. The holdup must be with the guarantees in his contract more than anything, because the amounts are slotted. He’s due to make about $11.4 million over four years, with a signing bonus close to $5 million. The NFL is still reviewing his case under its Personal Conduct Policy to determine if he should be suspended for his domestic battery incident even though charges were dropped.”
Some believe that, if Judkins shows up before the league resolves his Personal Conduct Policy case, he’ll promptly be placed on paid leave.
The other potential complication, in our view, comes from the standard default language that will void future guarantees. A suspension typically wipes out future guarantees. And both sides know a suspension is potentially coming.
Judkins may be trying to get a dispensation for the incident that has sparked the looming suspension. The Browns may be holding firm.
Regardless, the first game is only six days away. Even if Judkins signs today — and isn’t summarily put on paid leave — it’s hard to imagine him being ready to play on Sunday, given that he had not a single rep in training camp.
