Former Florida star Dameon Pierce causing odd contract holdup among fourth-round NFL Draft picks

The Houston Texans selected former Florida Gators running back Dameon Pierce in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and have already locked him up on his rookie contract. But that contract was a unique one, and has resulted in a bit of a holdup among other fourth round picks.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Texans signed Pierce to a deal $25,000 more than the typical bonus for that draft slot. As a result, other players are looking for more money behind Pierce.

“Fourth-round picks have been the slowest to agree to deals, in large part because the #Texans have RB Dameon Pierce (second pick in the round) an extra $25k over the minimum, so now every agent behind him is asking for the same,” Garafolo tweeted. “Below pic: Number of signings as of yesterday.”

Garafolo followed his tweet up with a graphic showing the amount of players that have signed from the recent NFL Draft. Everybody in the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds have signed, while just six total players from the first and third are signed. Just 13 of the 32 picks in the second round have signed, with just nine, including Pierce, from the fourth round of the draft.

Fourth-round picks have been the slowest to agree to deals, in large part because the #Texans have RB Dameone Pierce (second pick in the round) an extra $25k over the minimum, so now every agent behind him is asking for the same. Below pic: Number of signings as of yesterday. pic.twitter.com/pUTui1Um7g

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 9, 2022

Texans GM Nick Caserio on why Houston took Pierce in the draft

The Texans have a bit of a logjam of running backs on the roster, though none are solidified as a top option out of the backfield. Rex Burkhead, last year’s leading rusher, returns after running for 427 yards last season.

In drafting Pierce, Caserio believes that the Texans got an option out of the backfield that can contribute right away. He will definitely have the opportunity to earn playing time as a rookie.

“He plays with a lot of joy. He plays with a lot of fight. He plays with a lot of toughness, and his personality, I would say, transfers over to the football field,” Caserio said of Pierce. “A guy that’s 5’9”, 217 pounds that’s built strong, low to the ground, has good contact balance, good lower body strength, good lateral quickness, maybe lacks a little top-end speed and has decent hands.

“I would say his mindset and skill set potentially projects to a role in the kicking game. We talked about players trying to create multiple roles for themselves on a roster, so I would say in Dameon’s situation, I think he’ll have an opportunity.”