3 NFL stars who skipped opening day of training camp 

#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.