3 NFL stars who skipped opening day of training camp 

Tuesday saw the start of NFL training camp, with teams welcoming their veteran stars to begin work for the 2022 season. Rookies will be working with senior players for the first time in close quarters, while coaches will finally be able to see what their pieces look like on the field rather than on the whiteboard.

That said, this is a time when contract disputes are becoming all the more unpleasant. Players can refuse to turn up to training camp if they’re looking to secure a better contract or a trade.

While it is rare for elite players to not have these situations resolved by the time training camp begins, several stars skip the opening day every year, and 2022 is no different.

Ahead of the start of the 2022 NFL Season, many players have refused to turn up to training camp. Here are the three biggest NFL stars who skipped training camp.

#1 – Jessie Bates (Cincinnati Bengals)

AFC Divisional Playoffs - Cincinnati Bengals v Tennessee Titans

Jessie Bates was one of the stars of the Cincinnati Bengals defense that reached the Super Bowl last season, although he wouldn’t be as widely appreciated as the team’s offensive stars.

The entire offseason has been spent trying to tie Bates to a long-term contract in Cincinnati, yet no agreement could be reached by Tuesday morning.

This has led to Bates refusing to turn up on the opening day of training camp, which may force the hand of the front office with regards to a new contract or a trade.

Coach Zac Taylor remains hopeful that the issue will be resolved before the end of training camp.

"I don't want to make any predictions. I've talked to Jessie and that's up to him when he shows up and we will be ready for him,” Taylor told WKRC-TV.

The New York Jets have emerged as a possible trade destination for the safety, with their backfield looking to get even stronger after the arrival of Sauce Gardner.

Given his numbers, Bates is one of the best safeties in the NFL and deserves to be paid like one. The Bengals have a contingency plan in the form of Daxton Hill, their first-round selection in 2022, who could take Bates’ place, but still, hope to find an agreement with Bates.

#2 – Roquan Smith (Chicago Bears)

Cincinnati Bengals v Chicago Bears

Roquan Smith did turn up to the building for Chicago’s opening day of training camp, but he refused to participate in practice.

Smith’s holdout is related to a contract dispute with the Bears, and he has told the franchise he will not practice until he is given a new contract.

Smith is doing what is now known as ‘holding-in,’ which is more beneficial as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. While technically on the premises and at training camp, by skipping practice, he is virtually doing what the old holdouts intended to achieve.

Smith has been notoriously difficult for the Bears to manage before, with the linebacker taking a while to sign a rookie deal in the Windy City.

This particular issue isn’t related to a desire for a trade. It is merely about Smith wanting more money, having previously suggested he hoped to find an agreement with the Bears:

“Absolutely yeah [staying in Chicago], that’s my plan.”

Having been an All-Pro for the past two seasons and registering three sacks and 95 solo tackles in 2021, Smith is vital to the Bears’ hopes of improving this term, and it would be staggering if they didn’t agree to an extension soon.

#3 – Orlando Brown Jr (Kansas City Chiefs)

Kansas City Chiefs v Arizona Cardinals

When you have a quarterback as prodigiously talented as Patrick Mahomes, you must pay and protect him. Alas, in the era of the NFL salary cap, it is becoming exceedingly difficult to achieve both of those goals with offensive linemen discovering their true worth.

The Kansas City Chiefs know how important protecting Mahomes is (what with their 2020 season ending in a Super Bowl defeat with their quarterback having virtually no O-Line in front of him).

At left tackle, Orlando Brown Jr is one of the best players in the position in the NFL, and the Chiefs had hoped to secure him to a long-term deal before training camp. Yet, with Brown wanting a much bigger contract than expected, this hasn’t happened. Hence Brown failed to report to training camp on Tuesday morning, waiting instead for the Chiefs to finally offer him an acceptable deal.

The Chiefs attempted to franchise-tag Brown, but he has refused to sign the tender to this point, leaving Andy Reid somewhat disinterested in the situation:

“If he’s here, great, and if not then we move on.”

The problem with this situation is that Brown wants to play for the Chiefs in 2022; he doesn’t want to sit out a year when he’s a Super Bowl favorite. Patrick Mahomes needs Brown and has intimated as much publicly. However, there is also the possibility that the Chiefs might tender a second tag on Brown, which would delay any contract talks even further.

To play in 2022, Brown would be forced to sign this second tender, weakening his bargaining position, so this story is one to watch moving forward, given his importance to Mahomes.