July 11th, 2025
Contract disputes are running rampant in the NFL when it comes to their top players. Most of these players attended minicamp, such as Cowboys’ linebacker Micah Parsons, Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson, Jets’ cornerback Sauce Gardner and Jets’ wide receiver Garrett Wilson, along with Bills’ running back James Cook.
However, there are a few players that play an important role on their respective teams that have decided to sit out. This includes Washington Commanders’ wide receiver Terry McLaurin, Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker T.J. Watt, and finally, Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive end Trey Hendrickson. These three are some of the best players on their individual teams and are trying to gain leverage for an extension by sitting out, which could continue into training camp.
The first situation involves Terry McLaurin, who wants more money than he is currently earning, according to Adam Schefter, who appeared on the Pat McAfee Show. T.J. Watt is sitting out because he wants to be the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media on the Rich Eisen Show. Meanwhile, Hendrickson is not participating because he wants to have a long-term contract that would provide security, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Here are where things stand with each player. As of now, McLaurin is quite upset with the Commanders about the entire situation, says Fowler. T.J. Watt and the Steelers will most likely work out a contract that would pay him north of $40 million per year, making him the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL, per Pelissero on the Rich Eisen Show. Meanwhile, Fowler also reported that the Bengals and Hendrickson have restarted conversations about an extension, but Hendrickson is still refusing to give in to the Bengals and stands firm on what he wants.
Now, here is the interesting part. The aforementioned players are either at or about to be 30 years old. Most people would understand this from the players’ perspectives, but some may acknowledge where the teams are coming from as well, because they may be reluctant to give out these types of contracts to older players. The teams are taking a risk, but the players deserve to obtain what they want because of how much they have done for each of their teams. Presumably, both parties want to get these contract extensions done and out of the way, but that is easier said than done. Hopefully, these situations will get resolved sooner rather than later.
Note: This does not include Bengals draft pick Shemar Stewart since he is a rookie and has not played a snap for the team. Read more about his situation in the Story Archives tab.