It’s NFL holdout season — or at least, that’s what it used to be called.
Now that the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement restricts holdouts and mandates fines, some players are circumventing the system by “holding in” while awaiting a new contract. Instead of risking bodily harm without long-term guarantees in place, a player might watch training camp from the sidelines while his agent negotiates with his team’s GM upstairs.
A couple of NFL hold-ins have already proved fruitful. Quarterbacks Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa received big-money extensions from the Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins last week.
How will the rest of the NFL’s holdout/hold-in situations be resolved? Let’s figure out how we got here with players like CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk, and Ja’Marr Chase before predicting new deals for each contract hopeful.
Projecting Contract Resolutions for NFL Holdouts
CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Lamb’s résumé: 25 years old. 2020 first-round pick (No. 17). Three straight 1,000+ yard seasons. Led NFL in catches (135) while setting career bests in yards (1,749) and touchdowns (12). First-team All-Pro in 2023, second-team All-Pro in 2022. Three-time Pro Bowler.
Where negotiations stand: Lamb is not attending the Cowboys’ training camp as he awaits a new contract. While he is being fined, Dallas can waive the penalties because Lamb is still on his rookie deal.
Over the weekend, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones told NFL Network’s Jane Slater that Dallas has proposed a new contract offer to Lamb and his agency. After previously suggesting that Lamb wants to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback, Jones walked those comments back, per Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram.
Contract projection: Four years, $136 million ($34 million AAV).
Justin Jefferson‘s $35 million AAV with the Minnesota Vikings should put a temporary cap on the wide receiver market. He’s almost universally regarded as the NFL’s best wideout, and Lamb doesn’t have the track record to pass Jefferson in yearly salary. A $34 million value would make Lamb the league’s second-highest-paid WR, $2 million per year ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Aiyuk’s résumé: 26 years old. 2020 first-round pick (No. 25). Back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons. Posted 75-1,342-7 line in 2023, earning second-team All-Pro honors.
Where negotiations stand: Aiyuk is holding in at the 49ers training camp. He’s in attendance but not actively participating in drills.
In May, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Aiyuk wants to eclipse the four-year, $120 million extension Amon-Ra St. Brown signed with the Detroit Lions earlier this year. However, San Francisco wants to pay Aiyuk in the neighborhood of $26-27 million annually, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
MORE: Simulate the NFL Season With PFN’s Playoff Predictor
Contract projection: Aiyuk plays out the 2024 season before the 49ers franchise tag him in 2025.
Aiyuk is in a difficult position. San Francisco could theoretically retain him through 2026 via multiple franchise tags without ever extending him on a long-term contract. Keeping Aiyuk around with one-year deals until QB Brock Purdy’s eventual extension kicks wouldn’t be the worst contractual idea for the 49ers, even if it would be incredibly frustrating for Aiyuk.
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Chase’s résumé: 24 years old. 2021 first-round pick (No. 5). Averaged 89-1,239-10 line through three NFL seasons. 2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. 2021 second-team All-Pro. Three-time Pro Bowler.
Where negotiations stand: Chase is holding in at Bengals training camp, as Pro Football Network’s Jay Morrison writes.
“We’re going to try hard,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said last week when asked whether QB Joe Burrow’s $55 million deal leaves enough room for Cincinnati to sign Chase.
“If you were listing our guys, one-two, you just did it, and (Chase) knows that,” Brown said. “We know it, but it has to get done. We have both this year and next year where we have rights to Ja’Marr, so maybe it’ll take longer than we wish.”
Contract projection: Chase plays the 2024 season under his existing contract before signing a four-year, $146 million extension ($36.5 million AAV) with the Bengals in spring 2025.
Assuming Chase (and Burrow) stay healthy, Cincinnati’s WR1 could have the leverage to usurp Jefferson as the NFL’s top-paid wideout. Cincinnati doesn’t mind setting positional markets; Mike Brown and Co. made Burrow, QB Carson Palmer, and WR A.J. Green the highest-paid players at their positions when they signed their respective Bengals extensions.
Tristan Wirfs, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Wirfs’ résumé: 25 years old. 2020 first-round pick (No. 13). 63 career starts. First-team All-Pro in 2021, second-team All-Pro in 2022. Three-time Pro Bowler.
Where negotiations stand: Wirfs is holding in at Bucs training camp. As ESPN’s Jenna Laine reports, Wirfs and Bucs head coach Todd Bowles agreed that the All-Pro will not participate in padded training camp periods.
“I know he wanted to do some individual periods,” Bowles said. “He’s here in good faith while his contract gets done, and we’re trying in good faith to negotiate a contract, and hopefully something gets worked out soon. But the fact that he’s here and not holding out — when he gets it done or whenever it gets done — he can come in and step in and not lose any plays mentally by being here.”
Contract projection: Four years, $120 million.
Penei Sewell reset the offensive tackle market earlier this year with a $28 million AAV; Wirfs has the track record to take things a step further. Offensive tackles are more difficult to find than high-end wide receivers, but OT salaries have remained suppressed while wideouts have soared past $35 million.
Trent Williams, OT, San Francisco 49ers
Williams’ résumé: 36 years old. 2010 first-round pick (No. 4). 177 career starts. First-team All-Pro from 2021 to 2023, second-team All-Pro in 2015. 11-time Pro Bowler. Finished first among OTs in pass-block win rate (95.8%) in 2023. Widely considered the NFL’s best offensive lineman and a future Hall of Famer.
Where negotiations stand: Williams is a true holdout. He’s not at camp, and because he’s on a veteran contract, the 49ers cannot waive his fines. Clearly, Williams believes any fines will be worth it in the long run, assuming he can convince San Francisco to give him a pay increase.
“It was something I knew could be a possibility, and I was hoping that he would be here,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said last week. “But I knew it could be a possibility, and I felt pretty confident it’ll all work out in the long run and he’ll be here and we’ll get on the same page with everything. But it’s just one day of practice, and I think Trent will be all right missing a few practices.”
FREE: Subscribe to PFN’s NFL Newsletter
Williams signed a six-year, $138.1 million contract to stay with the 49ers in 2021. His $23.01 million AAV now ranks fifth among OTs, trailing Sewell, Christian Darrisaw, Laremy Tunsil, and Andrew Thomas.
Contract projection: The 49ers will find a way to make Williams happy by guaranteeing an additional future salary or manipulating the back end of his contract to bring his AAV in line with current market expectations. Given how important he is to San Fran, Williams might get both concessions.
Haason Reddick, EDGE, New York Jets
Reddick’s résumé: 29 years old. 2017 first-round pick (No. 13). Traded from Philadelphia Eagles to Jets in April 2024 in exchange for a conditional 2026 third-round pick. 50.5 sacks over the last four seasons. Second-team All-Pro in 2022. Two-time Pro Bowler.
Where negotiations stand: If there were ever a time for the “Not Great, Bob!” meme, this is it.
The Jets traded for Reddick fully aware that he wanted a new contract. Scheduled to collect $15+ million in 2023, Reddick didn’t attend any of New York’s offseason work and isn’t at training camp.
Reddick has already racked up $350,000 in mandatory fines. Meanwhile, the NFL CBA allows teams to fine a player 15% of his prorated signing bonus if he misses the first six training camp practices — Reddick has missed seven.
Contract projection: NFL reporter Josina Anderson suggested Saturday that discussions between Reddick and the Jets had “progressed positively.” On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter told Pat McAfee he’d “be surprised if they didn’t get this one solved.”
New York will give Philadelphia a third-round pick no matter what happens with Reddick; GM Joe Douglas can’t afford to drag this situation into the regular season in a must-win campaign. Whether Reddick gets a new incentive package or a straight raise, we expect him to come out ahead.