As the preseason nears completion (thankfully) and “real” football is poised to begin, a few players linger outside the 2,000+ now toiling in sweltering training camps and meaningless preseason games. One (Le’Veon Bell) is unsigned with the other three (Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack and Earl Thomas) ostensibly under contract. All are using their absence as their preferred form of civil disobedience in hopes of causing a reaction from their team’s front office in the form of a contractual upgrade and/or trade.
Unfortunately for these players, even their elite status does not give them the leverage in their “negotiation.