It’s early June in the NFL. An established veteran star missing a few days of minicamp isn’t really that big of a deal.
But it might be a big deal when they’re staying away looking for a new contract.
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There are a few stars not in attendance at their team’s mandatory minicamp, taking on fines to use whatever leverage they have to get a raise. Usually these standoffs get settled somehow, but as of now they are standoffs. Some players, like Kirk Cousins, James Cook and Micah Parsons, are attending minicamps even as they’re not satisfied with their current situations.
Here’s the level of concern on each high-profile minicamp holdout:
Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson holding out of minicamp doesn’t raise the level of concern, because it was already pretty high. This is the Bengals we’re talking about. Last year Bengals owner Mike Brown stubbornly insisted that once training camp started it wasn’t a good time to negotiate a new deal with Ja’Marr Chase, and that probably cost him millions when Chase won the receiving triple crown. The Bengals have a reputation of not wanting to pay, and it seems like they’re trying to avoid giving a raise to Hendrickson after he led the NFL in sacks.
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The problem is the Bengals defense was bad last season and won’t get better without Hendrickson. There weren’t many huge additions to the defense this offseason and plenty of issues. The team just cut linebacker Germaine Pratt, a solid performer for them for six seasons. They’re also in a strange contract standoff with first-round pick Shemar Stewart, who isn’t practicing and said he thought he’d be on the field already. Cincinnati is trying to “set a new precedent” with rookie deals that allows the team to void future guarantees, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, and Stewart is missing out on reps as a result. If Hendrickson is willing to miss games, as it has been reported, his holdout could drag on a long time. This is the Bengals, after all.
Concern level: Very high
Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin
McLaurin is in the final year of his deal and at a $15.5 million base salary he is underpaid. McLaurin finally had a good quarterback throwing to him last season and had a career best 13 touchdowns. Jayden Daniels and McLaurin had great chemistry last season. Any setback to that would be bad for the Commanders as they enter Daniels’ second season.
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McLaurin will turn 30 years old in September and maybe there’s some concern about a long extension with him, but it seems like this should get settled. McLaurin has been good for the franchise as it struggled for many years, and he deserves to get paid. Washington has the cap space to make it right.
Concern level: Pretty low
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is looking for a raise after a big season. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt
Watt had to see Myles Garrett get a four-year, $160 million deal after he requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns, compare their careers and figure he needed to get a similar deal. Watt is already a icon for a historic franchise, a sure Hall of Famer and still one of the best defensive players in the NFL. There might be some concern that he’ll turn 31 years old in October, and a long deal that’s about $40 million per season might not age well.
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The Steelers will probably take care of Watt. They’ve usually gotten deals done with their star players. It doesn’t seem like this is a long-term problem, though the price tag on an extension is going to be big.
Concern level: Low for now
Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith
It seemed like Ramsey might be traded during the NFL Draft. That didn’t happen. The Smith trade speculation hasn’t died yet. So the Dolphins are having minicamp without two of their few productive players from last season.
“I don’t give a s—- about what I feel,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told the Miami media. “I don’t even really go down that road about how I feel about it. My job is to react and control my controllables and people are moving in one direction appropriately.”
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Things are going great in Miami.
The only concern might be that the Dolphins haven’t gotten trades done for Smith and especially Ramsey yet. That means nobody has been willing to pay their price to this point. At some point Miami is going to have to take what it can get for Ramsey, or start the awkward process of mending fences. They might have to reunite with Smith too, and he wants a new contract. Money fixes everything, but if the Dolphins wanted to pay those players to make them happy, they probably would have already. This just seems like a mess, and it’s not like the Dolphins will be better off without Ramsey and Smith on the field this season.
Concern level: High
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