NFL training camp season means holdout/hold-in season is upon us too as players seek new contracts.
The biggest saga of the summer has been between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys. Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones opened training camp with a wild, meandering media conference that took shots at Parsons’ health, and Parsons has not been shy about voicing his displeasure with both that day and the entire process of trying to get a new deal.
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Parsons is arguably the NFL’s best defender, and he’s only 26 years old, so you’d think the Cowboys wouldn’t mess around too much with this negotiation. You thought wrong!
While the franchise has a history of leaving it late with star player contracts like Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, to its credit, the deals get done.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter doesn’t sound so optimistic about this one.
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“You can’t get a deal done if you’re not even talking, and the two sides haven’t had any negotiations since late March or early April,” Schefter said Tuesday. “It sounds like at this point it’s personal. It sounds like each side is dug in.”
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There are, of course, plenty of instances in NFL history where negotiating acrimony was swept aside to get a deal done. Schefter, however, doesn’t see that happening here.
“I see these two sides headed towards a divorce in time,” he said. “The only question is, when is that divorce going to happen, and how is it going to happen? Are they going to trade him now? Are they going to trade him after this year?”
There’s still over two weeks before the Cowboys open the regular season in Philadelphia against the Eagles on Thursday, Sept. 4. Who knows, maybe Jones wants to steal some thunder from Dallas’ bitter rival opening the season as defending Super Bowl champion by getting the Parsons deal across the line a day or two before kickoff.
Given the way this is trending, however, it doesn’t feel like Parsons will be a Cowboy much longer.
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That’s gloomy. How about the other contract seekers? Is there more gloom, or will there soon be reason to say “boom”?
Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin: Boom
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson spoke last week on the gulf between McLaurin and the Commanders, and what a deal might look like. “I think if it can get to $27 million to $28 million in annual average value,” Robinson said, “if you’re getting somewhere between $50 and $60 million in guaranteed money, I don’t think either side would be happy, but I think it is the middle ground that gets those two together.” Robinson believes the negotiation has gotten to a point where McLaurin’s asking for $33 million in average annual value and $60 million guaranteed, similar to DK Metcalf’s deal with the Steelers. The Commanders and GM Adam Peters might not be willing to go there, since the history of age-30 receivers delivering after signing a deal like that is short (McLaurin turns 30 in September). Plus, teams reportedly haven’t been hammering Washington’s phone lines with trade offers, and Jayden Daniels has publicly spoken about wanting McLaurin back in the fold. All told, the momentum here seems to be headed toward a compromise deal, so we’ll go boom.
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Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson: Gloom
This situation has heated up again the past couple days. First there were reports over the weekend that the Bengals were listening to trade offers for Hendrickson. Then, the NFL’s reigning sack king spoke to ESPN on Monday and said that while he and the Bengals are close on annual salary and the length of his next contract, the team’s unwillingness to give him more than one year of guaranteed money remains the sticking point. The Bengals already amended their preferences with regard to guarantee structure twice this offseason, first with All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and then first-round pick Shemar Stewart. They really, really sound like they don’t want to do it again, and even though teams know Cincinnati’s back is against the wall at the negotiating table, all it might take is one reasonably sweet offer to get a trade done. We’re going gloom here.
San Francisco 49ers WR Jauan Jennings: Boom
Jennings still hasn’t practiced since reportedly aggravating a calf injury on July 27, but he did attend the 49ers’ preseason game against the Raiders over the weekend, and he’s done at least one light workout. We’re not going to debate whether the injury is real or not, or if Jennings is maximizing his missed time in an effort to get a deal done. We’re simply going to note that this doesn’t seem to be a particularly acrimonious situation, and headlines have been sparse on it for weeks. That’s usually a good sign. Boom.
This news was originally published on this post .
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