Multiple media outlets report that the San Francisco 49ers have reached an agreement with linebacker Patrick Willis, the No. 11 overall pick in the draft.
Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports that the contract is for five years with $12 million guaranteed and a maximum package of $16.655 million.
Willis is the latest top-16 pick to be tied up for only five years despite a CBA rule allowing the first half of the first round to be signed to a maximum deal of six years. Though there's a chance that this phenomenon happened spontaneously, we have a feeling that NFL teams have decided to make a smaller up front investment in high-end first-rounders, since chances are that as many as half of them won't become great players.
ProFootballTalk.com -- The Best Pro Football Scoop on the Internet