San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, who was the team's top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, remains unsigned. 49ers players reported to training camp on Thursday and will take part in their first practice on Friday at 10 a.m. While general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan were clearly disappointed that a deal has not yet been agreed upon, they understand that this is all part of the business.
Kevin Jones of KNBR reported that 49ers chief strategy officer and executive vice president of football operations Paraag Marathe has been working around the clock to get the deal finalized.
Most of the contract numbers are set. Salary numbers for rookies are predetermined based where they were selected in the draft. Thanks to the 2011 CBA, all rookie contracts are now for a length of four years. First-round selections come with an option for teams to pick up the fifth year. Having set numbers for each spot eliminates the need to negotiate salary and only leaves items like bonus payment terms, roster bonus allocations, and other miscellaneous structural items.
Lynch and Shanahan discussed the absence of the third overall selection as the 49ers open training camp.
"We're still working on that," Lynch said. "There's been a lot of productive conversations here in the last couple of days. (I) just left some of those and we're hopeful that we can get this done in the necessary time. I'm aware from experience as a player, and we all are in the business of football, that deadlines typically get these things done. We're drawing close to that and, like I said, hopeful that we can continue to make progress and tie this thing up so Solomon can be here with his teammates."
"I'm pretty confident that we will get it done," Shanahan said. "It is part of the business. It's something that you've got to deal with a little bit every year. It doesn't always happen but I think everyone that's been in the business has been through it. You totally understand it. I think Solomon wants to be here as bad as anyone. I know we want him here as bad as anyone. I'm confident we'll get it done, but I can't worry about it too much. I think it will end up being alright."
How concerned are Lynch and Shanahan regarding the amount of time that Thomas has missed and his ability to pick things up after missing so much time?
"Shoot, I'm concerned right now," Lynch said. "I wish this were done. I think it should be done and I'm disappointed myself in a certain way that it's not. But I think I'm also learning that this is part of the business part of the game. As I said, though, I'm encouraged and hopeful that we can get it done and we'll see."
Based on the rookie salary scale, Thomas' four-year contract is expected to be in the range of $28 million with an $18.6 million signing bonus and a 2017 salary cap figure of $5.1 million.
