The NFL's 7 Most Likely Holdout Candidates Entering 2020 Season

Above all else, the NFL is a business. 

Players know that their ability to establish leverage in contract negotiations is fleeting. It'll only get harder to negotiate a new deal with the threat of a potential holdout thanks to the recently agreed upon collective bargaining agreement, as Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted.

Still, standout performers should capitalize on those rare moments when they do gain leverage over teams.

The following seven players could hold out this offseason in an attempt to coax long-term deals commensurate with their value based on their recent play.

Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

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After Dak Prescott spent the past four years vastly outperforming his rookie contract, the Dallas Cowboys placed the exclusive franchise tag on him this offseason so he couldn't test the free-agent market.

The two sides continue to negotiate, though they seem to be at an impasse that could lead to a holdout. 

In late May, ESPN's Todd Archer reported the Cowboys had an offer on the table to make Prescott the "second-highest-paid NFL quarterback in terms of average per year." Therein lies the problem.

The quarterback market operates differently than any other position. The best players aren't necessarily the highest-paid; it's about who enters the market at the right time.

Prescott is already one of the game's best quarterbacks. Last season, the 26-year-old finished second in the league with 4,902 passing yards and fourth with 30 touchdown passes.

The Cowboys won't be paying just for what he's accomplished; they'll also pay for what he brings to them long-term. If they decide not to budge, there's no reason for Prescott to show up or sign anything that would lock him into a deal less than the market dictates.

The two sides can continue negotiating a long-term deal until July 15. The clock is ticking.

Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon

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It's far more difficult for running backs to build leverage in contract negotiations than quarterbacks. They have a much shorter shelf life, and quality runners emerge more frequently than quality signal-callers.

The NFL's pass-heavy evolution has devalued the running back position in recent years, which has led to notable holdouts such as Le'Veon Bell and Melvin Gordon. This offseason may continue that trend.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, and he's "prepared for a holdout if they can't agree to a long-term deal," according to The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr.

Mixon is fresh off back-to-back 1,100-yard rushing seasons and is a dynamic option out of the backfield.

"He's an important guy to us," Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin told ESPN's Ben Baby in February. "We'll see where it goes, but he's a guy that we value."

Although Mixon may flame out sooner than later, he remains valuable to the Bengals for now. His presence in the lineup will only help the development of this year's No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Joe Burrow.

Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook

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Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook "will no longer participate in any team-related activities" unless he gets a new contract, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The 2019 Pro Bowler might be waiting a long time, according to Schefter.

"To date, the Vikings' contract proposals to Cook demonstrate that they are a quarterback-first team, per the source. This offseason, the Vikings gave quarterback Kirk Cousins, who had one year left on his deal, a contract extension paying him $30 million per season. Cousins will make $150 million over five seasons. Cook has one year at $1.3 million left on his contract."

Cook set career highs last season with 1,135 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, he's looking for compensation worthy of that production.

However, Cook has yet to play a full 16-game season and has only one year with more than 1,000 scrimmage yards. The Vikings could easily turn to Alexander Mattison, who had 462 yards and a touchdown on 100 carries last season, and Ameer Abdullah to anchor their backfield in his absence.

If Cook does hold out, he might be overplaying his current hand.

Jacksonville Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue

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In March, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue tweeted that he "no longer [had] interest in signing a long-term contract" with the team. Since then, he's done basically everything in his power to get out of Jacksonville, including a Twitter spat with Jaguars co-owner Tony Khan.

The Jaguars dangled him on the trade market before the draft, but general manager Dave Caldwell said they didn't receive any offers, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.   

If he shows up at all, the 25-year-old pass-rusher will play under the franchise tag this season.

Ngakoue could force Caldwell's hand with a prolonged holdout. At that point, the Jaguars would be compelled to get whatever they can in return for him since it's clear he isn't going to re-sign with them.

The Jaguars already appear to be rebuilding after moving on from veterans such as Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell, Marcell Dareus and Nick Foles within the last eight months. The longer they wait to trade Ngakoue, who had 37.5 sacks over his first four seasons, the more his value will decrease.

That's exactly why a holdout tips the scales in favor of the player and causes something to happen.

Los Angeles Chargers DE Joey Bosa

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Joey Bosa is no stranger to holdouts.

The 2016 No. 3 overall pick missed most of training camp and the preseason as a rookie because of a contract dispute. At the time, he and the Chargers quibbled over offset language and partial deferment of his signing bonus, per ESPN's Jim Trotter. 

Could history repeat itself this year? In mid-January, Daniel Popper of The Athletic deemed it "very likely" that Bosa will hold out again unless he gets a contract extension.

Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, Bosa is set to earn $14.36 million in base salary. While that figure may seem exorbitant, it's only the 15th-highest cap hit among edge-rushers around the league, according to Over the Cap.

Over his first four NFL seasons, Bosa racked up 40 sacks and 53 tackles for loss in 51 career games. According to Pro Football Focus, only Los Angles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald—a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year—has posted a higher pass-rush win rate since 2017.

Demarcus Lawrence and Frank Clark both signed deals that exceeded $100 million in total value last offseason. Bosa is better than both. With nearly $100 million in projected cap space next year, the Chargers should do everything in their power to sign him to an extension and prevent a holdout.

Los Angeles Rams CB Jalen Ramsey

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When the Los Angeles Rams traded for Jalen Ramsey in October, he promised he wouldn't hold out in 2020 even if they two sides couldn't reach a long-term deal this offseason, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

He doubled down on that promise during a video conference with reporters in late May. When asked whether he would attend training camp without a new contract, he replied, "Yeah, for sure," per ESPN's Lindsey Thiry.

With a $13.7 million cap hit this season, Ramsey will be the league's fifth-highest-paid cornerback, per Over The Cap. But after the Rams traded a pair of first-round picks and a fourth-round pick to acquire him from the Jacksonville Jaguars, he has all of the leverage.

"We went and got this guy with the hope that it's not going to be a short-term thing," head coach Sean McVay said, per Thiry. "How exactly that evolves, we'll see. But I sure hope he's not leaving."

The Rams are cap-strapped, though they could free up some space with a move or two—like trading right tackle Rob Havenstein—to offer Ramsey an enticing long-term deal.

Otherwise, they'll have to take him at his word that he will attend training camp without a new contract. But there's no better time than now for Ramsey to maximize his marketability when he clearly holds the upper hand in negotiations.

New York Jets S Jamal Adams

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New York Jets safety Jamal Adams has not participated in this year's voluntary offseason program, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. But the Jets don't seem overly concerned about it for now.

"As far as with Jamal [Adams], this is voluntary. That's just what it is," head coach Adam Gase told reporters in April. "That's the CBA rules and there's really nothing we can do about that."

However, it isn't much of a stretch to think this will continue well into the summer as Adams angles for a lucrative extension.

The two-time Pro Bowler is already one of the league's best safeties. He's a multipurpose defensive weapon who's capable of covering receivers in space, playing near the line of scrimmage or rushing the passer.

However, the Jets picked up his fifth-year option in April, so he has two years left on his contract. In mid-April, Schefter reported the team had "not expressed any official interest" in extending Adams.

Given Adams' lack of contractual leverage, the franchise doesn't need to budge even if he does continue to hold out.