With the Washington Redskins finally signing quarterback Robert Griffin III to a four-year deal on Wednesday, fans are probably wondering how that signing will affect the negotiations of other high draft picks. The negotiations of the Jacksonville Jaguars' first round pick, wide receiver Justin Blackmon, will probably not be seriously affected by Griffin's contract, according to an article by Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union.
Ganguli says that the big hold up for many of the top draft picks is the inclusion of something called offset language.
Offset language gives a team relief if they release a player with a guaranteed contract and he signs with another team. Without the offset language, the player can double-dip. With offset language, the player's old team would be off the hook for the amount the new team pays him.
For reference, Griffin does not have offset language in his contract. Because of Blackmon's offseason DUI, the Jaguars are be pushing to put offset language in his contract.
Blackmon's contract is much more likely to include protection for the Jaguars because of his DUI arrest earlier this offseason. This collective bargaining agreement gives the Jaguars a little more freedom to protect themselves in case of future off-the-field problems.
It makes sense that the Jaguars do want to protect themselves in case Blackmon does indeed make another off-field mistake. Ganguli does report that the Jaguars fully expect to sign Blackmon to a contract before training camp begins.
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