According to a report last week, Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones was expected to skip at least the start of the team’s OTAs as he looks for a contract adjustment that would bump up his take-home pay in 2018.
Jones has indeed been a no-show on the first two days of voluntary practice this week and that led to a question for team owner Arthur Blank at Tuesday’s league meetings in Atlanta.
“It will be fine. It’s just a process we have to go through,” Blank said, via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
These teams either punched above their weight last year or did not make significant moves this offseason to change the path they were on in 2017.
Despite that, people still trust the brand of football these teams play entering 2018. We’ll take a look at these squads closely and pick apart why their perception doesn’t match the on-field reality.
Said Rovell on Twitter: “The NFLPA told at least one rookie that if he turned down today’s Rookie Premiere, where they take photos in their new team gear, they would not be let into their practice facility to work out.”
Said NFLPA spokesman George Atallah in response, also on Twitter: “NFLPA’s Rookie Premiere is more than a photo in the new team gear. You either don’t know that (which is hard to believe since you’re so smart) or you’re just being obtuse. 2. The CBA has dictated this rule since our union has had Rookie Premiere.”
Teams are required to allow the players to attend the Rookie Premiere if they want, and it makes sense that the players can’t choose both to not attend and to stay behind and work out at the team facility. Such a “voluntary” act would be every bit as “voluntary” as the “voluntary” offseason workouts.