ATLANTA -- In recent seasons, fans here couldn't count on many victories from the Atlanta Falcons. But they usually knew that the team would capture the league Signing Sweepstakes as the first team to have every draft choice under contract.

That's why it is so ironic that, in a year when new owner Arthur Blank has worked hard to create so much promise and do everything the right way, the Falcons will almost certainly open camp Thursday without first-round draft choice T.J. Duckett on hand.

The two sides haven't spoken since Ray Anderson, the team's new executive vice president and chief financial officer, submitted an opening offer to agent Joel Segal more than two weeks ago. The offer was for six years, with the ability to void it to a five-year contract.

Chances are good that unless the team unilaterally opts to enhance that initial proposal, which isn't likely, there won't be substantive negotiations anytime soon.

"When we sent (Segal) our offer, his response was that he wanted to wait and see how the first round filled in around his client," Anderson said. "Well, we're waiting for him to quit waiting. We have nothing in terms of a counter-proposal."

The usually media-friendly Segal has not returned messages to ESPN.com to comment on the lack of negotiation. Such lack of action is unusual for Segal, who is a noted dealmaker, but not adverse to keeping clients out of camp when offers are below the market value.

The primary reason for the inertia is obvious: The offer from the Falcons included a signing bonus of $3.2 million, no second-tier option bonus, and no incentives or escalators. The 18th choice in the 2001 draft, Detroit offensive tackle Jeff Backus, received a signing bonus of $3.2 million, an option bonus of $1.3 million and a $100,000 reporting bonus.

That total of $4.6 million for Backus is about 44 percent more than the Falcons have offered Duckett, a tailback from Michigan State, in terms of guaranteed money. Backus' contract averages about $1.315 million per year, while the Atlanta proposal averaged roughly $1.2 million, according to league sources. Local media here has emphasized the likelihood Duckett won't report on time but has not detailed the gulf between the Backus contract of a year ago and what Atlanta has offered Duckett.

The Falcons have not had a first-round pick miss the opening day of camp since 1997 and, ever since then, the team made it a priority to finish its rookie deals quickly. There would have to be significant progress in the next day, unlikely given the dearth of talks to this point, to get Duckett to camp on time.

Atlanta is counting on Duckett to provide the power component to their running game and to serve as the complement to lightning quick tailback Warrick Dunn, the team's highest-profile offseason acquisition.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.