The Cleveland Browns have announced the signing of 2016 3rd round pick QB Cody Kessler, which is a good sign for the New England Patriots. Kessler was the 93rd overall pick, two spots after the Patriots drafted quarterback Jacoby Brissett out of N.C. State.
Earlier this offseason, we highlighted why 3rd round quarterbacks are the most difficult players to sign on rookie contracts. The general idea is that 3rd round quarterbacks receive contract premiums that pay higher than the draft slot typically awards under the rookie wage scale.
Brissett has been negotiating his contract on his own, so it's likely that he wanted to see the premium that Kessler received from the Browns before agreeing to whatever deal the Patriots have offered on the table.
We will see the contract details for Kessler surface over the next couple of days, and then we will likely see a breaking report that the Patriots have reached a contract with Brissett.
Brissett remains the last Patriots rookie without a contract.
Edit: According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Kessler received a 4-year, $3.40 million contract. The 93rd overall draft pick was slated to receive $3.00 million this year, which means that Kessler received a premium of roughly $400,000, or 13.3%.
This is huge for Brissett because 3rd round quarterbacks typically receive a premium of roughly 3-4%. If Brissett follows Kessler's new deal, he will be in line to receive a rookie contract valued at 4-years, $3.42 million.
That is much larger than the $3.11-$3.14 million contract he was expected to sign- and those numbers includes the quarterback premium of 3% to 4%.
So by waiting for Kessler to sign a deal, it's possible that Brissett just made himself $300,000. Not bad.