Broncos are out of excuses not to sign Jahdae Barron after Travis Hunter update

Up to this point, there has seemingly been no reason for concern whatsoever with the contract of Denver Broncos rookie Jahdae Barron. Barron showed up to Broncos OTAs and mandatory minicamp without having a deal signed, a show of good faith from both parties overall.

Now, we're closing in on the end of the month of June, and the 20th overall pick still doesn't have his pre-fixed deal signed. There are details of rookie contracts that have to be ironed out in each individual case, but every pick has a slotted contract number per the agreement between the NFL and NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement. Thus, any sort of contract disputes are going to raise eyebrows around the league.

The Cincinnati Bengals are notably in an ugly contract dispute with their first-round pick Shemar Stewart, who left mandatory minicamp frustrated over the direction discussions were heading. At this point, Stewart and Barron are both in the same boat of not having their rookie contracts signed, so why should the Broncos and their fans not be concerned about Barron?

Broncos rookie Jahdae Barron one of just two first-round picks still not signed

The Jacksonville Jaguars recently got a deal done with the 2nd overall pick in the draft, Colorado Heisman winner Travis Hunter, raising even more questions about the issues holding up a deal with the Broncos and Jahdae Barron.

This was a very odd NFL Draft for a number of reasons, but one of the main reasons being the top cornerback didn't come off the board until the 20th overall pick slot where the Broncos selected Barron. The one complication to that distinction is Hunter, who is a rare two-way player. Hunter's guaranteed money could have been the last thing holding up the contract negotiations between the Broncos and Barron.

It could also be that Hunter received over $30 million of his guaranteed money in an up-front signing bonus, an unprecedented figure for a non-1st overall pick.

Last year's 20th overall pick -- Pittsburgh Steelers OL Troy Fautanu -- received a signing bonus over $7.7 million. The year before that, Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks received a signing bonus of just under $7.5 million.

With this year's 19th overall pick (Emeka Egbuka of the Bucs) receiving a signing bonus of $9.856 million and the Steelers giving 21st overall pick Derrick Harmon a signing bonus of $9.711 million, it looks like this year's rookie class is seeking the largest signing bonuses possible for their particular pick slot. In the case of Barron, we're talking about a signing bonus of more than $2 million above even the two most recent players picked 20th overall if he's able to keep pace with the guys picked immediately before and after him.

Of course, all of this is speculation at this stage. It's important to consider all factors at this point, especially with the idea that Barron was the top player selected at his position in this class. Teams are handing out unprecedented signing bonuses at each pick slot. Rookie contracts are fully guaranteed anyway, so the underlying factors like signing bonuses matter in these conversations.

Hopefully, Hunter getting his deal done can be the final hurdle for the Broncos and Barron. You would hate to see something like this lingering deeper into the offseason, certainly not leading up to training camp.