Lions working hard to sign Riley Reiff before Monday

Posted by Josh Alper on July 20, 2012, 9:57 AM EDT

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Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III got their contracts, so it is now time to turn our attention to the other unsigned 2012 first round picks.

Lions tackle Riley Reiff, the 23rd overall pick of the draft, is one of those unsigned players. Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free-Pressreports that details on negotiations are “scarce” with Lions rookies set to report for work on Monday. The entire Lions roster is due on Thursday as the team gets training camp underway.

Monarrez suggests that Reiff’s team is waiting for Matt Kalil, who went fourth to the Vikings, to sign his contract before they agree to terms. That might be the case, but it seems like more than a little bit of a stretch that the fourth pick’s contract would have any bearing on the deal for the 23rd pick in the system put in place by the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Kalil might play the same position as Reiff, but the details of his contract have no relevance. The deals that impact Reiff are the ones close to him in the draft order and the fact that only one of the five players drafted between 20 and 24 has signed drives that point home.

Issues like bonuses, guaranteed money and offset language for players in that range will impact decisions for both the Lions and Reiff, one of 11 first rounders without a contract. The deal signed by Chandler Jones, the 21st pick, sticks out as one that might create some trouble since Jones agreed to sign with the Patriots without getting a roster bonus for his fourth year.

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