National Football League

Dolphins sign first-rounder Jordan

Published Jul. 20, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

First-round draft pick Dion Jordan has signed with the Miami Dolphins, who will have all nine draft choices under contract for the start of training camp workouts Sunday.

Jordan, a defensive end and linebacker from Oregon, was the third player taken in the April draft after the Dolphins swung a trade with Oakland to move up nine spots.

Jordan's deal includes offset language on the guaranteed money in the contract, a source told FOX Sports.

Offset language, a sticking point for several top-10 deals this year and last year, means the Dolphins will be off the hook for as much as Jordan's next employer pays him if they cut him before the end of his four-year deal.
The trade-off in negotiations, per the source, was for Jordan to get his signing bonus on a quicker payout schedule than that of No. 2 overall pick Luke Joeckel, whose deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars did not contain any offset language.

The source said Jordan, who is working his way back from a shoulder injury, also didn't want to miss any practice time on account of the battle over offset language. Dolphins players reported to camp Saturday.

The rest of the unsigned players in the top 10, including offensive tackles Eric Fisher (Kansas City Chiefs, No. 1) and Lane Johnson (Philadelphia Eagles, No. 4) are also negotiating the offset language in their deals.

Johnson could be signed in the coming days, perhaps before, or shortly after, the Eagles' rookies report on Monday.

The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Jordan had 14.5 career sacks as a speed rusher at the University of Oregon. He may initially be a pass-rush specialist with the Dolphins, but they anticipate he'll eventually become an every-down end in their 4-3 scheme.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.