Should we be worried Michael Penix Jr., Falcons haven't agreed to contract?

Michael Penix Jr. has had to deal with a lot of drama he never asked for. He was expected to go to a team that would quickly make him the starting quarterback; instead, he went to the Falcons where it could be three or four years before he is a week one starter.

Recent talk about Penix not yet agreeing to a rookie contract with Atlanta has occurred. Is that something to be worried about? Could this affect anything moving forward? We are going to address those questions here.

Is there any concern about Michael Penix Jr. still being unsigned?

In simple terms, the NFL Draft allows every team to select the rights of any available player in the pool of prospects. If a player doesn't want to sign with a team, they either have to be traded or sit out a year until the next draft. As we all know, the Falcons, controversially, selected Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. with their first pick and some have decided his unsigned status should add to the controversy.

The NFL has slotted contracts for rookies. The number-one pick gets the most money and from there the money dips with each pick inside the top ten.

What this has done for teams is make it easier to agree to contracts with their rookies. We aren't in the John Elway days when top picks could leverage themselves to make more money. The fact that Penix hasn't signed comes down to the verbiage inside the contract, not so much the money.

Not to mention, with there not being any real competition for the NFL, players don't have any alternate routes to leverage more money. The only time you see that anymore is if a player is drafted into the MLB.

Rookies have two options nowadays, either they agree to their slotted contract or they don't play football (or play in the UFL where you don't make nearly the money you would in the NFL). The Falcons hold the rights to Penix and will agree before the season starts. No need to worry.

Rookies like Caleb Williams, Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Oduze, and J.J. McCarthy are still unsigned so Penix isn't even the last top-ten pick not under contract.