The NFL regular season begins next week, but there are a couple 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 Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons. Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin both agreed to terms Monday.
Which player will be next in resolving their contract dispute? Are either of these willing to miss games once the season begins? Let’s take a look at each situation.
Jump to:
Hendrickson | Heyward | McLaurin | Parsons
Status: Holding in, requesting trade
Aug. 25 update: Coach Brian Schottenheimer has been confident that Parsons will be available for the Sept. 4 opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the Cowboys will account for his uncertain status when putting together its 53-man roster.
“I think [defensive end] is an area that we’re pretty deep,” Schottenheimer said.
At this point the question becomes: How effective could Parsons be in Week 1 versus the Eagles with no practice if he is actually on the game-day roster? — Todd Archer, Cowboys reporter
Status: Agreed to terms
Aug. 25 update: The star pass rusher will get a $14 million raise from the Cincinnati Bengals for this season, boosting his 2025 salary to $30 million, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
Hendrickson is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Before receiving the raise, Hendrickson had not participated in any offseason workouts, including all of training camp, while seeking a new deal with the club. He had insisted he would not play this season under the original contract at $16 million. — Ben Baby, Bengals reporter
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
Status: Agreed to terms
Aug. 25 update: The Commanders and McLaurin reached agreement Monday on a three-year contract extension worth up to $96 million that will end his hold-in and get him in uniform for the regular-season opener against the Giants, agents Buddy Baker and Tony Bonagura told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
McLaurin receives a $30 million signing bonus in the deal, sources told ESPN.
McLaurin and the Commanders’ front office had been at odds over his value since talks began early this offseason. By getting the deal done now, the Commanders will retain their most consistent offensive player since he arrived as a third-round pick in 2019. — John Keim, Commanders reporter