Holdouts Jeopardize Their Season Openers – Revis, Meriman and Others Risk the Wrath of Coaches

Stars around the NFL are famous for holding out – not reporting to training camp on time. Generally, when an NFL player fails to report to training camp, he’s in the middle of renegotiating his contract and is staying away for “business reasons.”

Such is the case with high-profile New York Jets defensive back Darrelle Revis (pictured). Though he has a year left on his initial contract, which he signed when he was a rookie, he wants to become the highest-paid cornerback in football, which means he wants over $15 million a year. The back-and-forth has gone on for weeks now, and there’s no end in sight. Jets owner Woody Johnson is pessimistic about the parties’ ability to get a deal done before the season begins.

Meanwhile, Revis is being fined $16,523 for each day he doesn’t report. This is a drop in the bucket for most players, but Revis is currently under a contract for a relatively paltry $1 million for this year, which means this fine could add up to a significant amount, barring an unexpected breakthrough. Jets coach Rex Ryan is currently trying his best to get Revis back on the field, going so far as to suggest canceling practice and bringing the entire organization in on the negotiations. However, if Revis continues to hold out, Ryan may lose patients, and Revis may even face some sort of punishment when and if he rejoins the team.

On the other hand, there’s San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawnne Merriman, who is holding out to express his anger with Chargers management over his job security. He has been joined by wide receiver Vincent Jackson and tackle Marcus McNeill. Both say they won’t be back without a long-term contract. For their part, Chargers management says they’re ready to move on without McNeill and Jackson.

Players usually end their holdouts in time to play most of the pre-season, but that doesn’t appear to be in the cards this time. And for the Jets and the Chargers, two teams with high expectations, this may impact at least the first portion of their season.