NFL Stars Fighting for New Contracts That Will Dominate OTAs

The 2025 NFL offseason has reached another important milestone with the start of organized team activities. This represents the first opportunity for rosters to coalesce and players to build rapport with teammates, many of whom only recently joined the club via trades, free agency and the draft.

While OTA attendance isn’t technically mandatory, only a handful of veterans tend to skip the event. Most of these players miss OTAs for contractual reasons, signaling their unhappiness to the organization and taking steps toward a holdout.

There were several vets—many of whom are entering the final year of their rookie deal—who failed to show up to the start of OTAs this week while potentially seeking a contract extension ahead of the 2025 NFL season.

Let’s take a look at some of the most glaring absences and highlight why their teams either need to get them back in the mix or trade them before a holdout causes an unwelcome distraction.

RB James Cook, Buffalo Bills

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After coming up painfully short of a Super Bowl yet again last season, the Buffalo Bills are gearing up to run it back with largely the same core in 2025. Just about every player was in attendance at the start of OTAs, although there was one notable omission in running back James Cook.

Cook is healthy—unlike new teammate Joey Bosa, who is nursing a calf issue and was the only other Bills player absent Tuesday—but is choosing to sit out while seeking a new deal. The back is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract and is seeking an extension on the heels of a career-best campaign.

After breaking out with a Pro Bowl sophomore season in 2023, Cook took his game to new heights in 2024 by rushing for 1,009 yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns on 207 totes. He was also an asset in the passing game, reeling in 32 balls for 258 yards and two scores.

Cook is hoping to cash in with a sizable pay raise when he signs his second NFL contract. The star pinned his own comment while live on Instagram in which he was calling for "15 mill [per] year".

It’s a reasonable price for a two-time Pro Bowler who is still just 25 years old. Per Spotrac, $15 million annually would tie Cook with Derrick Henry as the third-highest-paid back in the league, although he would still be behind both Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey in terms of average annual value.

It seems that Cook and the Bills are keeping lines of communication open, and both parties seem to expect a deal will get done despite the back’s absence from OTAs.

According to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg, general manager Brandon Beane has given no indication that Cook might miss meaningful time in 2025. Head coach Sean McDermott echoed that sentiment by saying "we're staying in touch” and that “James will be here when he's ready to be here."

Teammate Dion Dawkins also chimed in on Cook’s absence, noting Buffalo’s propensity to reach agreements with its homegrown stars “

“I do know that with the culture that goes on here is we take care of ours”, said Dawkins. “And some processes are longer than others.”

All signs point toward Cook’s extension getting hammered out soon, avoiding the unwanted drama that inevitably comes with a lengthy holdout through training camp.

RB Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Travis Etienne wasn’t in attendance on Day 4 of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ OTAs. While the running back had been available and participating for the first three days, his absence—coupled with an expiring rookie contract—has led to speculation that Etienne could soon be on the move.

Although head coach Liam Coen told the media that a flight issue was the reason for Etienne’s disappearance, there’s been trade whispers surrounding the back for months and they aren’t likely to calm anytime soon.

Etienne has experienced many highs and lows throughout his NFL career. After missing his entire rookie year with a Lisfranc injury, the running back bounced back to put together a string of 1,000-plus yard seasons in 2022-23. He experienced a significant regression last year, garnering a mere 558 yards and two touchdowns on 150 carries across 15 contests.

With Etienne struggling, the Jaguars leaned on second-year back Tank Bigsby to shoulder the load in 2024. Bigsby looked like the more impressive runner, picking up 766 yards and seven scores on his 168 carries. If he continues to play well and shows out in camp, it’s likely he’ll usurp Etienne on the depth chart and emerge as Jacksonville’s RB1 in 2025.

The team also has fourth-round pick Bhayshul Tuten in the mix, the first running back selected by the new regime helmed by head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone. Tuten is an electrifying playmaker who could augment Bigsby and further push Etienne into irrelevance if he remains on the roster.

Rather than burying a back set to make over $6 million in 2025—a fully guaranteed amount after the Jags picked up Etienne’s fifth-year option—on the depth chart, Jacksonville could clear the logjam and free up finances by dealing the veteran back prior to training camp.

TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

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Kyle Pitts has the distinction of being the highest drafted tight end of all time, having gone No. 4 in 2021. He also has a Pro Bowl on his resume stemming from an impressive rookie debut.

Despite these noteworthy accolades, the veteran has been mediocre at best over the last three seasons and is now making a rather head-scratching decision to sit out during OTAs.

Pitts was one of two marquee players who elected not to attend the Atlanta Falcons’ initial OTA session Tuesday. The other was Kirk Cousins, who understandably skipped out due to his ongoing battle with the organization to be freed from backup duties after being replaced by Michael Penix Jr. last season.

Although there’s been no official news regarding the nature of Pitts’ absence, there has been speculation that it’s contractual in nature.

Pitts is going into the final year of his rookie deal, although he’s being paid rather handsomely and likely well above what he would have garnered on the open market. The tight end is making nearly $11 million for the upcoming season—giving Pitts the third-highest base salary at the position this season—and every dollar is guaranteed after the Falcons picked up his fifth-year option.

Pitts is coming off another disappointing showing in 2024, tallying a meager 47 receptions for 602 yards and four touchdowns. It was a slight regression from his middling 2023 performance, a season in which he caught 53 passes for 667 yards and three scores.

It’s now been nearly four years since Pitts has notched a 100-yard game. He once seemed like the next great at the position after he became the first rookie tight end to breach the 1,000-yard receiving mark since Mike Ditka in 1961, but injuries limited Pitts to 10 starts in 2022 and he hasn’t looked the same since returning.

Pitts must prove to the league he can still perform at a high level if he wishes to receive a long-term contract offer. Missing OTAs will only hinder his efforts to get a new deal.

Edge T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers

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T.J. Watt has been the face of the Pittsburgh Steelers in recent years, keeping the squad in playoff contention with his herculean efforts that have helped mitigate a painful lack of offensive firepower.  

Despite his immense contributions (Watt’s resume includes seven Pro Bowl nods and 108 sacks) throughout a decorated eight-year career with the club, Pittsburgh has yet to reward its biggest star with a new deal.

With ESPN's Brook Pryor reporting (h/t Jake Brockhoff of Steelers Depot) there's no immediate urgency in the contract negotiations, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Watt didn’t make an appearance at OTAs. The edge-rusher was one of several Steelers players—including newly acquired wideout D.K. Metcalf—who weren’t present for the portion of practice open to the media.

Watt is going into the final season of a four-year, $112 million contract he signed ahead of the 2021 campaign. He immediately began living up to that latest deal, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors that season and making the Pro Bowl in each subsequent one.

There have been rumblings that Watt could split with the Steelers—the organization that drafted him No. 30 overall in 2017—ever since the veteran posted a picture of himself giving the peace sign back in early April.

Although team owner Art Rooney has maintained that Pittsburgh will not be trading Watt and said that “he’s the kind of guy we want to have in our locker room going forward,” the lack of positive news on the extension front is starting to grow concerning with OTAs ongoing.

Considering the Steelers have a longstanding policy of not negotiating during the season, the clock is ticking for Watt and the club to come to terms. If a new contract isn’t hammered out by the start of training camp, expect the trade rumblings to reach a fever pitch.