2026 NFL Draft: Contract details revealed for Giants first-round pick Arvell Reese
Arvell Reese was the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday by the New York Giants. Now, the former Ohio State star’s contract details have been revealed.
Reese will sign a $45.6 million, fully-guaranteed four-year contract with the Giants, according to Spotrac. He’ll be given a $29.6 million signing bonus to go along with a $11.4 million AAV. He’ll be paid $8.3 million during his rookie season.
Reese, 20, is one of the youngest prospects in this year’s Draft. To many, he was the consensus No. 1 overall player on the board coming off a standout junior season with the Buckeyes.
An EDGE/linebacker hybrid, Reese compiled 69 tackles (34 solo), 10.0 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks in 2025. Reese was named Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and was a Consensus All-American (Associated Press, AFCA, and Walter Camp).
Additionally, Reese won a national championship with Ohio State in 2024. Now, he’s heading to New York to help anchor the Giants’ defense under new head coach John Harbaugh.
- 1
NewLSU AD rips Brian Kelly for having 'no connection' to fans
- 2
UNC hoops scoop: Completing the Year 1 Build
- 3
Jon Sumrall states Florida has 'got to push the envelope' in NIL
- 4
Don't expect Big Ten, SEC to agree to ACC tiebreakers
- 5
Mark Fletcher claims Miami is 'coming back with a vengeance'
Get the On3 Top 10 Newsletter in your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
As a recruit, Reese was ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 188 overall recruit in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Reese checked in as the No. 21 linebacker in the class and No. 5 overall player from the state of Ohio, hailing from Glenville High School (Cleveland, Ohio).
Notably, all first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft will receive four-year deals with fifth-year club options. Their salaries are fully-guaranteed, which is different from those selected in rounds 2-7. Instead, they’ll sign a four year contract with no club option.
According to Spotrac, this year’s base rookie salary is set at $885,000, which is up from last year’s $840,000 minimum. The last pick in the draft (No. 257) will be expected to sign a contract worth $4.4 million — which would be a $913,565 salary for year one.
That minimum could be expected for undrafted free agents, who will sign their deals once the draft is concluded. UDFA rookies can sign for up to three years with no club option.