With the Hall of Fame game kicking off the on-field action of the 2019 NFL Season, things are starting to ramp up at training camp across the country. We’re about a week into training camp for most teams. For some of them that week has come and gone without their most talented players participating.
Michael Thomas (Saints)
Michael Thomas was drafted 47th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. He was the sixth receiver selected and through three seasons he has not only outperformed all of those taken ahead of him but he’s been on a record-setting pace. Thomas’ 321 receptions are the most of any NFL wide receiver in their first three seasons.
Entering training camp, Thomas had one year left on his contract that was worth around one million dollars. Obviously, Thomas felt that he had proven himself worth more than that lowly sum and so the Pro Bowler refused to attend practice until the Saints negotiated an extension with him.
The gamble paid off as it was announced today that he would be rewarded with a five-year $100 million contract extension with $61 million guaranteed. Thomas now becomes the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. He will report to camp tomorrow.
Trent Williams (Redskins)
The Washington Redskins used their first-round pick on Ohio State quarterback, Dwayne Haskins. The team views Haskins as a franchise quarterback and hope that he will be leading the team for years to come. With a lot invested into a young quarterback, a good way to make sure that he is given ample opportunity to succeed is to keep him upright. That got harder for Washington when stud left tackle Trent Williams opted to holdout.
Williams has been one of the top left tackles in the league for the past few seasons. Not only is the big man looking for a new contract from Daniel Snyder but he is also unhappy with the Redskins’ medical staff. Williams underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his scalp that went undiagnosed during last season. He is expected to make a full recovery but there are multiple bridges to be mended before these two sides reunite.
It seems like the two remain at an impasse. The latest reports are that Washington has started to listen to trade offers for their disgruntled left tackle. Would Williams seek a new deal if sent to another franchise or would he play the year out and then try to get paid on the open market? Either way, it’s likely that when Williams returns to action it won’t be with the Redskins.
Melvin Gordon (Chargers)
Melvin Gordon was the first major holdout of the 2019 season. The Los Angeles Chargers running back would’ve been playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. Yet, with his position becoming a less pivotal piece of how the game of football is being played in the NFL, Gordon knows that his chance to capitalize financially is slim.
Not only did Gordon choose to holdout but he also gave the Chargers an ultimatum: pay me or trade me. It’s not necessarily the Le’Veon Bell path but it’s just as bold. Even though the value of running backs have diminished overall, there are still teams that would be willing to meet Gordon’s demands of a contract in the $52.5-$57.5 million range that Bell and Todd Gurley were recently given.
Word came out on Monday that this holdout might not last much longer. Rumor has it that there’s a discrepancy of about two million dollars keeping a contract from being agreed upon. Los Angeles had the depth to get by without Gordon unlike the two previous holdouts, however, it seems like they are going to pony up the money to keep him on board.
Yannick Ngakoue (Jaguars)
Two years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars defense almost singlehandedly carried the team to a Super Bowl appearance. A defensive line that was as good rushing the passer as it was stopping the line. Versatile linebackers who could drop into coverage as easily as they could blitz undetected. Rounded out by a defensive back group that not only played like one of the best units of all-time but had the swagger to tell you so.
Last year, the defense remained one of the best in the league but the team’s record spiraled as they fell from the top of the AFC to the bottom. In the midst of that fall, Yannick Ngakoue had his third solid year for the Jaguars. He totaled 9.5 sacks and started all 16 games for the second consecutive year. Taken in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Ngakoue is in the final year of his rookie deal.
Knowing how well he’s done so far Ngakoue is holding out in hopes of getting paid like a premium edge rusher in the league. Regardless of whether or not Jacksonville decides to give him an extension, Ngakoue is likely to see his demands met on the open market. Not much has been said on the status of negotiations but as long as Ngakoue remains away from the team the Jaguars defense won’t be as strong.
Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys)
Ezekiel Elliott is the player who is most crucial to his team’s success on this list. In Melvin Gordon’s section we referenced that the running back position is being devalued but in Texas the Dallas Cowboys have reinvented themselves around Elliott. He was drafted fourth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft and immediately turned things around in Jerry World.
Dallas has their other two offensive studs (Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper) entering the final years of their deals. Meanwhile they would be able to exercise the fifth-year option on Elliott’s contract paying him just a shade over nine million dollars for the 2020 season. That trio is as promising of a group of players to wear the star on their helmet since Tory Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin we’re winning Super Bowls.
Though Elliott is under team-control for another two seasons (three-to-four if you include potential franchise tag scenarios) he has been the definition of a workhorse tailback since entering the league. In two of the three years he’s played, he’s had over 300 carries. We’ve seen the Cowboys run their premiere runner into the ground (see: Murray, DeMarco). By holding out Elliott is trying to make sure that the franchise is paying him in accordance with how they’re using him. Reports are that the two sides remain far apart in negotiations.
