The NFL regular season is less than a month away, but there are a handful of stars still not practicing because of their contract situations.
The start of training camps brought these negotiations to a head. Players can hold out and stay away from camp until their financial situations are addressed, or they can hold in, where they report to camp to avoid fines but skip practice while waiting for a new contract. We're tracking all the important holdouts and hold-ins across the league, with updates from our NFL Nation writers on each situation.
Currently, the list of stars not practicing includes Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin and Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons. Bills running back James Cook was previously holding in but returned to practice on Tuesday before agreeing to a four-year extension on Wednesday.
Which player will be next in resolving their contract dispute? Are any of these four willing to miss games once the season begins? Let's take a look at each situation.
Jump to:
Hendrickson | Heyward | McLaurin | Parsons
Trey Hendrickson, Edge, Cincinnati Bengals
Status: Holding in after holding out, requesting trade
Aug. 13 update: Hendrickson is angling for a long-term contract as he enters the final year of his current deal. The four-time Pro Bowler and reigning All-Pro selection is set to make $16 million in cash this season. Most recently, he got a slight raise in 2022 that tacked an extra year onto the four-year deal he signed with the Bengals in 2021 as a free agent from the Saints.
Hendrickson began training camp as a holdout before shifting to a hold-in on July 30. He has maintained that he has no intentions of playing without a new contract. The Bengals have attempted to give a raise to the NFL's reigning sack leader. Currently, the split appears to be over guaranteed money, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
A source familiar with the negotiations said the two sides have talked since Hendrickson reported for training camp. However, there has been little headway as the 30-year-old ramps up for his ninth NFL season. -- Ben Baby, Bengals reporter
Cameron Heyward, DT, Pittsburgh Steelers
Status: Holding in
Aug. 13 update: Heyward, 36, is seeking to restructure a contract extension signed a year ago. Though he wouldn't give specifics about what he wants in negotiations, Heyward hinted that he would like to move some of next year's roster bonus to this year's compensation in order to match what he believes is his market value after an All-Pro year.
Heyward's total compensation this season is $14.75 million, including a $13.45 million guaranteed roster bonus and $1.3 million base salary. His roster bonus next season is $12.95 million if he remains on the roster by the fifth day of the new league year. Heyward said he first approached the team about a restructure in February but started a hold-in last week in part because of the state of negotiations. He hinted that he's willing to miss games if the contract issue remains unresolved.
Another situation to keep an eye on is with Chris Boswell. The Steelers kicker hasn't spoken publicly this training camp, but a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Boswell is seeking a new contract after an All-Pro season. Though he signed a four-year, $20 million deal in 2022 that tied him with Justin Tucker as the league's highest-paid kickers, the market has since been reset. It would be nearly unprecedented for the Steelers to renegotiate Boswell's contract with two years left on his current deal. -- Brooke Pryor, Steelers reporter
Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders
Status: Holding in, requesting trade
Aug. 13 update: McLaurin and the Commanders remain at a stalemate with negotiations for a contract extension. He has one year remaining on a three-year extension he signed in 2022. He missed the first four days of camp before reporting on July 27 and was placed on the physically unable to perform list with an ankle injury. McLaurin did tweak his ankle late in the season, but he fully participated in offseason workouts until voluntary OTA practices began.
Both sides have remained firm in their stances. For Washington, the fact that McLaurin will turn 31 when an extension begins has been a key factor. But he was drafted in the same 2019 class as DK Metcalf and has been equally productive. After getting traded to the Steelers this offseason, Metcalf signed a contract worth $33 million per year with $60 million guaranteed. That deal has served as a guide for McLaurin's demands.
McLaurin has not said if he'd be willing to miss any games in the regular season. -- John Keim, Commanders reporter
Micah Parsons, Edge, Dallas Cowboys
Status: Holding in, requesting trade
Aug. 13 update: Parsons and the Cowboys do not appear to be any closer to an extension than they were at the start of camp. He has since made a trade request, but owner and general manager Jerry Jones said there would be no trade.
At the start of camp, Parsons said he was dealing with back tightness, and last week he was getting treatment. It was notable when he did not wear his practice jersey after making the trade request. That's as big of an indicator as you're going to get in these hold-in situations.
There have been no substantive discussions from the two sides at all, and it appears the Cowboys are at least willing to open the season with Parsons playing on the fifth-year option. After that? There is always the possibility of using the franchise tag on Parsons in 2026. -- Todd Archer, Cowboys reporter