Latest Updates on NFL Franchise Tag Holdouts

With the NFL focus slowly shifting away from free agency and the draft to offseason workouts and—even further down the line—training camps, franchise tag holdouts are going to start popping back into the NFL newswire.

A number of high-profile players still are without a long-term deal, making the summer a likely firing ground for potentially unhappy franchise players. 

Here's an updated look at the major names that are holding out of early offseason workouts:

Cliff Avril – Detroit Lions

Months ago, GM Martin Mayhew was forced to place the Lions' franchise tag on the soon-to-be free agent after failing to come to terms on a long-term extension. Now we sit in early May, and the situation has changed very little.

According to the Detroit Free Press, "Avril and the Lions remain at an impasse in contract talks." He has sat out all of the team's offseason workouts to date and plans to continue that practice until a new deal has been agreed upon.

The two sides have until July 16th to hammer out a new contract, but it's looking as if the possibility exists that Avril could be playing the 2012 season on a guaranteed one-year deal at $10.6 million. 

Dwayne Bowe – Kansas City Chiefs

There were conflicting reports pre-draft about the potential signing of the $9.5 million franchise tender by Bowe.

Pro Football Talk stated Bowe was getting frightened into signing the deal by the possibility of the Chiefs taking a first-round receiver and rescinding his franchise tag, while NFL.com's Jason La Canfora later refuted that story by ensuring that Bowe has no plans of signing the tender. 

With the draft over, we know that Bowe did not sign the tender and no first-round receiver was taken by the Chiefs. Still, little progress has been made between the two sides, and Bowe has yet to attend any of the team's offseason workouts. 

Unless Bowe is traded—which GM Scott Pioli shot down earlier this month—expect the contract haggling to continue. 

Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints

Both Brees and the Saints front office have remained confident that a new deal will get done before the July 16th deadline. But according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the two sides have remained far off in talks and no deal appears to be imminent.

Said Schefter during SportsCenter on May 2:

"

I'm told that the two sides have not made any progress. They're basically exactly where they've been ... they're not any closer to a new deal for Drew Brees than they were weeks ago. The deal is not close to being done.

"

During an offseason filled to the brim with public relations nightmares in New Orleans, owner Tom Benson would do well to start pushing these talks along, even if the team has to budge a touch from their current stance. The Saints need to get Brees into offseason workouts with the team to help jump-start the long healing process from a Bountygate scandal that has rocked the franchise.

Matt Forte – Chicago Bears

Quite possibly no franchise-tag holdout is bound to be as messy as the one in Chicago, where Forte wants top running back money but the Bears seem content with a one-year deal. GM Phil Emery also sent a strong message to Forte when he signed running back Michael Bush in free agency, giving the Bears another starting-quality player at the position. 

Little has surfaced on the talks between the two sides recently. 

There was talk pre-draft about the possibility of the Bears shipping Forte out of Chicago in a draft-day deal, but no such transaction took place. The problem is and always has been the top money Forte wants and NFL teams' unwillingness to pay the position premium salaries. 

Unless a big change of heart occurs on either side, expect Forte to miss all of the Bears' offseason workouts—both voluntary and mandatory—before July 16th. A training camp holdout remains very much in the cards after the deadline, too. 

Ray Rice – Baltimore Ravens

Rice has yet to sound off on any potential training camp holdout, but it appears as if his participation in the Ravens' entire offseason program is in serious jeopardy. 

While GM Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens insist that contract talks remain a work in progress, there has been no indication from either side on whether or not a deal is getting close. Without a new deal in place, Rice has yet to participate in any offseason program in Baltimore. 

Rice means infinitely more to the Ravens than Forte does to the Bears, so there remains hope that the two sides will figure out a compromise before the middle of July.

However, there's no reason why Rice should come to camp in late July if a deal isn't worked out. As one of the game's best overall running backs at 25 years old, Rice deserves the contract security.

Wes Welker – New England Patriots

Like the others on this list previously, Welker has heard mostly crickets over the last two months. Welker also has no plans to attend any of the Patriots' offseason workouts. 

However, NFL.com's Jason La Canfora reported in mid-April that it is very likely that Welker simply plays the 2012 season on the franchise tender, which is valued at over $9 million for receivers. 

"A source with knowledge of those conversations believes Welker will most likely play this season on the franchise tag," La Canfora wrote. 

Given that knowledge, the Patriots would seem to have little incentive to cave into Welker's long-term demands. If there is anyone on this holdout list that would be most likely to sign their franchise tender and attend offseason workouts, it's Welker.