There was a time when NFL players could wield their power in contract negotiations by holding out into the regular season. The best example is Dallas star running back Emmitt Smith holding out at the start of the 1993 season just months after the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXLII. The Cowboys lost their first two games and Smith quickly received what then was the richest contract for a running back in NFL history.
There are other examples as well. Eric Dickerson twice held out – once with the Rams and again with the Colts – and earned a bigger contract on each occasion.