The new collective bargaining agreement was supposed to get all rookies in camp on time, something that is increasingly important for first year players in the NFL.
Ryan Tannehill, Justin Blackmon and Kendall Wright officially become rookie holdouts
But here we are in late July, training camps have started to open, and three first-round rookies are still unsigned, all of whom could be gaining valuable reps at training camp right now.
Ryan Tannehill failed to report to Miami Dolphins training camp today, and Justin Blackmon did the same at Jaguars training camp earlier this week. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans opened up camp on Friday without first round pick Kendall Wright.
With a handful of other holdouts affecting teams across the league, most notably Maurice Jones-Drew, Dwayne Bowe and Mike Wallace, rookies weren't supposed to be lumped in with that group. The new CBA brought the price of rookie contracts down, but hasn't yet eliminated the holdout entirely.
They are all obviously seeking big days, but the situations are all complicated in their own right. Justin Blackmon has off the field issues that could lead the Jaguars to try to force some offset language into the deal, Tannehill is a quarterback and could have been considered a reach, so it may be tough for the team and player to agree on his value, while Kendall Wright became more important to the Titans when Kenny Britt got into more trouble off the field. Not to mention, last year's No. 20 pick, Adrian Clayborn, received a fully guaranteed contract from the Buccaneers.
I don’t envision any of these holdouts lasting too long.
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