Full details for CB Will Johnson, the Cardinals’ 2nd-round pick
Johnson gets three years of full guarantees and a partial fourth year.
At the beginning of last week, 30 of the NFL’s second-round draft picks remained unsigned, including Arizona Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson.
As the dust cleared Tuesday, only hours before the team reported to camp, Johnson became the 31st No. 2 pick to sign. Only one remains unsigned — Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins. The fourth pick in the round, his situation has been complicated by a domestic violence arrest on July 12.
The prior snail’s pace of signings was thanks to the unprecedented contracts signed in early May by the first two selections in the round: Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger and Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins. They each signed fully guaranteed contracts, something that had never happened before in the second round.
As agents advocated for their players to achieve more than the customary guarantees while teams pushed against it, the question was how many others would get full guarantees.
It turns out there were five more, ending with Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, the eighth choice in the round. For Johnson, slotted at 15 in the round, his deal was linked to others around him.
It started with Bills defensive tackle T.J. Sanders, who at No. 9, had 75 percent of his fourth-year base salary guaranteed. After that, it was Jets tight end Mason Taylor (60 percent), 49ers defensive tackle Alfred Collins (45 percent), Cowboys defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku (38 percent), Colts defensive end JT Tuimoloau (30 percent), Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson (23 percent) and then Johnson, who had 17.55 percent of his fourth-year base guaranteed.
After Johnson, Texans tackle Aireontae Ersery was at 12.11 percent), Bengals linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. at 8.25 percent), Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (4.95 percent) and Panthers edge Nic Scourton at No. 19 in the round (3 percent).
At No. 20, Titans edge Oluwafemi Oladejo had his first three years guaranteed, but after that and through the remainder of the round, all players had partial guarantees in the third year of their contracts.
Will Johnson contract details
The total value of Johnson’s deal is $9,410,768 with $7,660,118 (81.4 percent) guaranteed, including a $3,484,196 signing bonus. The base salaries are $840,000 this season; $1,267,762 in 2026; $1,695,524 in 2027 and $2,123,286 in 2028. In that fourth year, the 17.55 percent guarantee is $372,636.
His salary-cap charge for this year is $1,711,049.
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