Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin and Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons reported to their respective training camps despite dissatisfaction with their contracts. Reporting was after brief holdouts by Hendrickson and McLaurin where $50,000 fines were incurred for each day of training camp that was missed. 

None of the three have practiced during training camp. Technically, McLaurin can’t practice. He hasn’t passed his preseason physical and was put on the physically unable to perform list with an ankle injury. 

That isn’t the case with Hendrickson and Parsons. Hendrickson has been adamant that he won’t play for the Bengals in 2025 under his current contract in which he is scheduled to make $16 million this season. Parsons hasn’t been practicing because of a “back issue.” 

Hold-ins are being staged. This became a new tactic for players trying to get contract unhappiness addressed because of the harsh economic consequences of a holdout under the 2020 NFL collective bargaining agreement.

Frustration with their contract situations led to McLaurin and Parsons requesting trades last week. Hendrickson asked for a trade several months ago during the early part of the offseason.

Something that isn’t expected to happen, regardless of how disgruntled any of the three become, is leaving the team without permission during training camp or in the regular season. It would be a rare and risky move with potentially devastating consequences.

Under the NFL Constitution and Bylaws, a team can send a player a letter informing him that he can be put on the reserve/left squad list if he doesn’t return within five days after leaving. Once placed on the reserve/left squad list, a player is prohibited from attending team meetings, practicing and playing for the rest of the season. This letter must be sent in order for a player to be put the reserve/left squad list.

The player’s contract also tolls where it is frozen and resumes the next year. For example, Parsons would be playing the 2026 season under his $24.007 million fifth-year option for 2025. A player doesn’t receive payment while his contract has tolled.

There are only a few times I can recall a five-day letter being sent over the last 20 years (Kentwan Balmer, Su’a Cravens, Percy Harvin and Richard Seymour). That’s because situations where one could be warranted are few and far between.

Cowboys’ Jerry Jones hasn’t spoken with Micah Parsons since trade request, not confident he’ll play Week 1

Garrett Podell

A team might not immediately send a five-day letter when a Pro Bowl-caliber player, such as Hendrickson, McLaurin and Parsons, goes AWOL. Even if the five-day letter is sent promptly, there might be a delay in utilizing the reserve/left squad option with an impact player given his importance to his team’s success.

Obviously, if this occurred during training camp rather than the regular season, the daily fine would be applicable. The daily amount would be $40,000 for Parsons and could be reduced or waived since he is still on his rookie contract.

Out of the three teams, the Bengals appear to be the most likely to go to the nuclear option first with a player walking out. Cincinnati was comfortable with starting quarterback Carson Palmer retiring in 2011 instead of accommodating his trade request. Only after the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders lost starting quarterback Jason Campbell for the 2011 season during the middle of October was Palmer traded.

The late Terry Glenn’s situation from 2001 could be instructive regarding players leaving the team. The wide receiver left training camp in early August after being suspended four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The New England Patriots promptly issued Glenn a five-day letter.

Action wasn’t taken immediately after Glenn didn’t return by the end of the five days. Glenn’s agent had been trying to set up a meeting with the Patriots to discuss Glenn’s return when he was put on the reserve/left squad list a week later.

Glenn filed a grievance through the NFLPA, which was expedited. Arbitrator Richard Bloch ruled in favor of Glenn, which allowed him to play for the Patriots in 2001. Richard Berthelsen, who was the NFLPA’s general counsel at the time said, “For the club to just suddenly close the door that same day (as Glenn’s camp was trying to meet with the Patriots), the arbitrator felt it was inappropriate. A new deadline should have been established.”

In other words, a team should quickly take the most drastic measure of ending a player’s season as soon as the five-day period has expired. If not, create a new deadline for the return that the player must ignore before going that route.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones quickly dismissed Parsons’ trade request as just being a part of negotiations. It would be interesting to see whether Jones would feel the same about Parsons daring him to send a five-day letter, complying with the terms and repeating the same course of action as many times as he chooses. There doesn’t seem to be anything preventing Parsons or any other disgruntled player from doing this under the letter of the rules. Although this specific scenario is highly unlikely, some other strange twist or turn to the saga between Jones and Parsons would be par for the course.