Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward has signed his rookie contract, which is valued at $48.7 million over four years.
The Titans announced the deal Wednesday, weeks after selecting Ward out of Miami with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
The contract is fully guaranteed and comes with a $32.1 million signing bonus. The Titans will have a fifth-year option on the deal that comes with all first-round contracts.
“It’s a blessing,” Ward said, per the Titans. “I’m ready to get to work.”
There was little room for negotiation for Ward or any other rookie in the NFL. Per the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, rookie contracts are fixed on a scale based on where players are selected.
By comparison, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders signed for four years and $4.6 million on Monday. Sanders was once touted as a prospect for the No. 1 overall pick before pre-draft reports and evaluations indicated he would not be selected that high. His slide to the fifth round and the 144th pick was stunning and came with a precipitous drop in the value of his contract.
While there was debate in the months leading up to the draft about who would go first overall, it became clear in the weeks leading up to the first round on April 24 that Ward was the choice.
Blessed with high-end athleticism, good size (6-foot-2, 219 pounds) and a big arm, Ward was a Heisman Trophy finalist and widely evaluated as the clear No. 1 quarterback prospect before the draft. And the Titans needed a quarterback.
The only other quarterback taken in the first round was Jaxson Dart with the 25th pick to the New York Giants. Dart’s draft slot comes with a four-year, $16.9 million contract.
