Will anyone hold out from Kansas City Chiefs minicamp?
By Matt Conner
It’s the one time of the spring where we can expect to see every single player show up. Will anyone hold out for the Chiefs this season?
For the last few weeks, several players have been the source of fan frustration for failing to show up at voluntary workouts or organized team activities for the Kansas City Chiefs. Every time Andy Reid was asked about a particular player, he always ignored the question, pointing to the players who were there and choosing instead to focus on them. He also continually repeated the fact that such OTAs were “voluntary”, again and again.
This week will be the litmus test, if one is even needed, to see if the Chiefs are the big happy family they’re often made out to be. Mandatory minicamp is the one time of the offseason where the collective bargaining agreement dictates that every player has to show up, so it’s the ultimate tell as to who is really frustrated with their contract or not. Sometimes both fans and front office can be surprised by who decides to make a statement. Most years, it’s smooth sailing for most teams.
This year, Eric Berry, Justin Houston and Marcus Peters drew disapproving murmurs when they missed the first week of OTAs. Dee Ford and Demetrius Harris have also gone missing over the last few weeks at various points, missing multiple practices.
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When the Chiefs mandatory minicamp opens on Tuesday, it will be interesting to see if any of the above or even a surprise player decides to hold out. For the Chiefs, it would be a nasty curveball given the team’s unfortunate cap situation, which has already forced the release of Jeremy Maclin and Jaye Howard. Dee Ford is on the verge of a new contract. Would he really hold out knowing it’s likely coming anyway?
Berry and Houston already have their long-term deals and have nothing to be unhappy about. Peters might want to be paid by the elite cornerback that he is, but the Chiefs can’t do much about it until after the third year of his rookie deal. Beyond that, the roster is filled with players with nice extensions and young guys who cannot yet do anything about it.
More than anything, it’s likely the Chiefs encounter no drama as they head into mandatory minicamp through Thursday.