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.
Tensions escalated in the past week with Jones hitting the talking heads circuit bemoaning the role of agents and threatening to use the franchise tag for multiple seasons on Parsons. As for Parsons, on Saturday he parked himself on the athletic's trainer table during a preseason game which didn't sound like it sat well with head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
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Time is running out 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 look good for an agreement between Parsons and the Cowboys ... unlike Terry McLaurin and the Washington Commanders who reportedly ended their standoff Monday with a new extension for the wide receiver.
That's gloomy. How about the other contract seekers? Is there more gloom, or will there soon be reason to say "boom"?
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.
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