NFL OTAs are underway, and a number of players are gathering with teammates to get ready for the start of the 2025 NFL season. While attendance is voluntary at this point in the offseason, a number of prominent players decided to skip the first day of those workouts for various reasons.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins is among the biggest name not present at OTAs on Tuesday. Cousins is seeking a trade after he was benched in favor of Michael Penix last season. Cousins hasn’t come out and vocally requested a trade, but there are rumors he wants to start next season and is willing to waive his no-trade clause to get that opportunity elsewhere.
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While Cousins did show up for team workouts in April, he was a no-show Tuesday, increasing speculation he prefers to join another team ahead of the regular season.
Cousins is far from the only big-name player not taking part in OTAs on Tuesday. Below is a list of some of the most prominent players who opted against attending their team’s workouts.
James Cook misses Bills OTAs amid new contract talk
After two straight seasons with over 1,200 scrimmage yards, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook would like a new contract. Cook, 25, is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and is hoping to secure a long-term extension before hitting the free-agent market.
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Cook dropped some hints during the offseason that he’s seeking roughly $15 million per year as part of his next deal. That would make him the third-highest paid running back in football, behind Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey.
Cook is set to make roughly $5 million next season unless he’s able to secure a contract extension ahead of the regular season.
Kyle Pitts misses OTAs, possibly due to contract situation
The Falcons also opened OTAs without tight end Kyle Pitts in attendance. Pitts, like Cook, is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Pitts is set to make roughly $10 million in 2025 after the team picked up his fifth-year option.
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Pitts discussed the importance of securing his next contract during an appearance on Cam Newton’s podcast in the offseason, though hasn’t gone to the same lengths as Cook to vocalize his demands.
It’s unclear whether Pitts’ absence is contract-related, though the fact that he’s set to be a free agent after the 2025 NFL season makes his lack of attendance notable.
Bengals’ Shemar Stewart sitting out of OTAs due to contract
The Cincinnati Bengals appear determined to anger any player seeking a new contract. Trey Hendrickson might be the biggest name on the team still waiting for a new deal, but first rounder Shemar Stewart is also a part of that group.
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While both the length and salaries of rookie contracts are essentially set, Stewart appears to be at an impasse with the team over language in his offer, per Pro Football Talk. The specific language in question wasn’t included in recent deals handed out by the Bengals, including the one given to receiver Tee Higgins or the one given to last year’s first-round pick Amarius Mims, according to PFT.
Stewart is present at OTAs, but he is not taking part in workouts since he hasn’t signed his deal yet.
Haason Reddick skips first day of OTAs after signing in March
Haason Reddick, who signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March, was not present at the start of OTAs on Tuesday.
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Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles was asked about the situation Tuesday, saying he believes the team will see Reddick “one of these days.” OTAs are voluntary, so Reddick — who missed multiple games last season after a contract holdout with the New York Jets — is not obligated to be there. The team reportedly did not put an incentive in his contract that encouraged him to show up, per PFT.
A number of Bucs veterans — including Mike Evans and Chris Godwin — were not present at voluntary OTAs. Reddick’s absence received more attention given his holdout last season and the fact that’s he’s new to the team.
Twenty-four different teams held OTAs on Monday. The eight teams other NFL teams will begin OTAs on Tuesday, so there could be more big-name players who decide to stay home due to contract-related issues.
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