NFL OTAs are underway, and a number of players are gathering with teammates to get ready for the start of the 2025 NFL season. While attendance is voluntary at this point in the offseason, a number of prominent players decided to skip the first day of those workouts for various reasons.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins is among the biggest name not present at OTAs on Tuesday. Cousins is seeking a trade after he was benched in favor of Michael Penix last season. Cousins hasn’t come out and vocally requested a trade, but there are rumors he wants to start next season and is willing to waive his no-trade clause to get that opportunity elsewhere.
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While Cousins did show up for team workouts in April, he was a no-show Tuesday, increasing speculation he prefers to join another team ahead of the regular season.
Cousins is far from the only big-name player not taking part in OTAs on Tuesday. Below is a list of some of the most prominent players who opted against attending their team’s workouts.
T.J. Watt skips Steelers OTAs
While he’s waiting for a new contract, T.J. Watt is skipping the Pittsburgh Steelers’ voluntary workouts.
Watt was not with the Steelers as their workouts started this week. While he’s not commented or given a reason why, Watt is currently heading into the final year of a four-year, $112 million extension he signed in 2021. Watt had 61 total tackles and 11.5 sacks last season, his eighth with the Steelers.
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He’s due to make $21.05 million this season, roughly half of what the top of the market is offering. Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett is making $40 million per season on his deal. Watt’s new contract could very likely top that, which would make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.
It’s unclear when Watt will get his new deal, or what that might look like. But, at least in the meantime, he’s going to prepare for the upcoming season away from his franchise.
Brian Schottenheimer confirms Micah Parsons isn’t at OTAs
New Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters Thursday that star pass rusher Micah Parsons hasn’t been at OTAs this week. Parsons is trying to negotiate a new contract with the team, though he did show up to voluntary workouts in April.
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Schottenheimer downplayed Parsons’ May absence, stressing that May’s workouts are voluntary. He added that he had lunch with Parsons in May, indicating there’s no bad blood between the two.
Mike Vrabel talks about Stefon Diggs after party videos emerge
New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel answered questions about new wideout Stefon Diggs after the receiver failed to report to OTAs on Wednesday. Diggs’ absence drew attention after videos emerged in which he was partying on a boat with his girlfriend, rapper Cardi B.
Vrabel urged Patriots players to make good decisions when asked about Diggs.
Diggs signed with the team in the offseason after tearing his ACL with the Houston Texans last season. It’s unclear when he’ll return to the field in 2025.
James Cook misses Bills OTAs amid new contract talk
After two straight seasons with over 1,200 scrimmage yards, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook would like a new contract. Cook, 25, is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and is hoping to secure a long-term extension before hitting the free-agent market.
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Cook dropped some hints during the offseason that he’s seeking roughly $15 million per year as part of his next deal. That would make him the third-highest paid running back in football, behind Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey.
Cook is set to make roughly $5 million next season unless he’s able to secure a contract extension ahead of the regular season.
Terry McLaurin not present at OTAs as team talks extension
Washington Commanders star Terry McLaurin did not report to OTAs on Wednesday, though it doesn’t seem like a serious issue. McLaurin and the Commanders have reportedly discussed an extension after the veteran scored a career-high 13 touchdowns last season.
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McLaurin, 29, has spent his entire career in Washington and showed strong chemistry with Jayden Daniels last season, so offseason OTAs aren’t necessarily essential for the wideout. If the team can come to an agreement on an extension, it’s possible McLaurin will report.
Myles Garrett, Diontae Johnson missing from Browns OTAs
The Cleveland Browns are missing two big-name players as OTAs open Wednesday. Star pass rusher Myles Garrett did not report, though there’s no cause for concern there. Garrett signed a mega-deal with the team over the offseason, so he isn’t seeking a new contract.
Receiver Diontae Johnson is the more interesting absence. Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Browns in May. Since he’s a new addition, Johnson might have benefitted from being with the team to get to know his new offense and quarterback. Johnson is looking to bounce back after posting the fewest catches and receiving yards in his career last season.
Kyle Pitts misses OTAs while rehabbing from injury
The Falcons also opened OTAs without tight end Kyle Pitts in attendance. While Pitts, like Cook, is entering the final year of his rookie deal, his absence is reportedly not contract related.
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He’s at the team facility working back from a foot injury and was simply not on the field for practice this week, according to The Bleacher Report’s James Palmer.
Bengals’ Shemar Stewart sitting out of OTAs due to contract
The Cincinnati Bengals appear determined to anger any player seeking a new contract. Trey Hendrickson might be the biggest name on the team still waiting for a new deal, but first rounder Shemar Stewart is also a part of that group.
While both the length and salaries of rookie contracts are essentially set, Stewart appears to be at an impasse with the team over language in his offer, per Pro Football Talk. The specific language in question wasn’t included in recent deals handed out by the Bengals, including the one given to receiver Tee Higgins or the one given to last year’s first-round pick Amarius Mims, according to PFT.
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Stewart is present at OTAs, but he is not taking part in workouts since he hasn’t signed his deal yet.
Haason Reddick skips first day of OTAs after signing in March
Haason Reddick, who signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March, was not present at the start of OTAs on Tuesday.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was asked about the situation Tuesday, saying he believes the team will see Reddick “one of these days.” OTAs are voluntary, so Reddick — who missed multiple games last season after a contract holdout with the New York Jets — is not obligated to be there. The team reportedly did not put an incentive in his contract that encouraged him to show up, per PFT.
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A number of Bucs veterans — including Mike Evans and Chris Godwin — were not present at voluntary OTAs. Reddick’s absence received more attention given his holdout last season and the fact that’s he’s new to the team.
Twenty-four different teams held OTAs on Tuesday. Eight other teams will begin OTAs on Wednesday, so there could be more big-name players who decide to stay home due to contract-related issues.