The Las Vegas Raiders kick off training camp on Thursday, with the rookies reporting, and the veterans will join them early next week. That means it’s officially football season as the new-look Raiders will look to compete in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
However, there is a lingering issue hanging over them heading into camp that could be solved soon. Jack Bech, the second-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders during the 2025 NFL Draft, has yet to sign his rookie deal.
And with rookies reporting on Thursday, you can count on him not being part of that group. That is because until Wednesday, 30 of the 32 second-round picks across the NFL had not signed their rookie contracts yet.
Raiders now have path to sign rookie wide receiver Jack Bech
The only two second-round picks who signed their deals were Carson Schwesinger, the No. 33 overall pick, and Jayden Higgins, who was No. 34. Both players received fully guaranteed contracts from their teams.
That hasn’t been the case in previous years, and the rest of the second-round class has been holding out for a similar guaranteed deal, including Bech. But we did see some critical movement on Wednesday when Alfred Collins, the 43rd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, signed his deal with the 49ers.
While Collins didn’t receive a fully guaranteed deal, he did get 88% of the agreement guaranteed, which is more than what Max Melton got a year ago at the same draft slot. That is a significant win for the rest of the second-round picks, as they should receive more guaranteed money than the previous class.
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Bech was the No. 58 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, so it’s safe to assume he will get less guaranteed money than Collins. But the more important thing is that the signing of Collins should allow other deals to get done rather quickly.
While Bech likely won’t be signed in time for the team’s first practice, don’t expect him to be out for a long period of time either. The Raiders are hoping that Bech can be the No. 2 receiver in this offense opposite Jakobi Meyers, but missing crucial practice time will make that difficult.
The Raiders obviously want him in camp, but no deal has been reached yet. The signing of Collins should speed up negotiations so that the former TCU star can get into camp and be ready to practice with Geno Smith when he arrives later next week.