Mandatory minicamp roundup — who showed up, who’s holding out | A to Z Sports NFL Newsletter

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Mandatory minicamp roundup — who showed up, who’s holding out

25 of the NFL’s 32 teams are holding their mandatory minicamps this week. All players under contract must attend or can be subject to fines, which could total upward to $100,000. These are the last organized team workouts until training camps open in late July.

Like most years, there are a handful of players around the league who are holding out in hopes for a new contract. Let’s take a look at the top names not participating in mandatory minicamp:

Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson: Entering the final year of his contract and having led the NFL in sacks in 2024 with 17.5, Hendrickson naturally wants a big-time extension. The two sides remain far apart, and it is unclear when or if Hendrickson will report. Hopefully he’s prepared to take the hit to his wallet, because the Bengals are unlikely to let his absence slide.

Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt: The perennial All-Pro is currently the seventh-highest paid pass rusher in the league. Logic says he should be much closer to first than seventh, but the Steelers have been dragging their feet. Coach Mike Tomlin is on record saying he isn’t concerned about Watt’s future with the team, but the situation is certainly worth monitoring since it has gotten to this point.

Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin: Coming off a season which he caught a career-high 13 touchdown passes, McLaurin is looking for an extension as he enters the final year of his deal. Coach Dan Quinn sees McLaurin’s absence as an opportunity for other WRs to get some work, but this definitely isn’t something the Commanders want carrying over to training camp, especially with the recent injury suffered by Noah Brown.

Some players who were expected to hold out surprised their teams by showing up instead, such as:

Buffalo Bills RB James Cook: The Bills and Cook have developed some bad blood during the offseason, but Cook doesn’t have much leverage. Unlike the players listed above, Cook is still on his rookie deal and cannot comfortably afford to eat a bunch of fines. To his credit, he has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He may have to prove himself one more time before securing the big pay day that he wants.

Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins: Despite Cousins being set to make $27.5 million in base salary in 2025, Atlanta has handed the keys of the franchise to second-year QB Michael Penix Jr. Although he has expressed his desire to continue to be a starter, Cousins’ contract has made him virtually untradeable. This is a mess for both sides, but appears Cousins is poised to make big bucks while holding a clipboard in 2025.

Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers: It was long expected that Rodgers would end up in Pittsburgh, but nobody knew quite when. He finally signed with the team last week, and is getting up to speed in minicamp.

AFC South positional rankings

Our own Destin Adams and Easton Freeze ranked and analyzed all four AFC South teams by each position group. Here are some highlights:

Offense

Quarterback: Texans, Jaguars, Titans, Colts

“There’s no question that heading into 2025, CJ Stroud is in his own tier atop the division. Despite a 2024 campaign that was mildly disappointing at times after the incredibly high bar he set for himself as a rookie, it’s still clear he’s one of the top passers in the league. Behind him, we agreed that Trevor Lawrence is ahead of Cam Ward. Both are 1st overall picks, and no one will be surprised if Ward flips this perception in short order, but until we see him in the NFL, Lawrence has the edge.

“Coming as no surprise, the Colts are a distant last place at the QB position. With news today that Anthony Richardson is being sidelined once again with shoulder soreness, Daniel Jones is looking more and more like the man who we’ll see leading Indianapolis in 2025. The Richardson experiment is feeling closer to finished by the day, and nobody expects Jones to emerge as the future of a franchise at this point. The Colts remain adrift at the most important position in football.” —Easton Freeze

Wide receiver: Texans, Jaguars, Colts, Titans

“This was the easiest position group for both Destin and I to rank. There isn’t anything resembling an argument here, at least not yet. We’ll see how some of these pivotal young players pan out, as they’re the only avenues to this list changing in any way this year. At first, by a very comfortable margin, are the Texans. They have serious questions at a couple of crucial positions that we’ll point out further down in the article, but not at receiver. Nico Collins is a bona fide top-10 receiver in the league at this point, and their depth is outrageous. Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel are the standout rookies who join Tank Dell, Christian Kirk, and John Metchie III.

“Next are the Jaguars, who sit at 2nd on this list by a very comfortable margin as well. They lack depth, but Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter could end up being a top-5 tandem in the league by the end of the 2025. Those two on the field together are a scary, scary proposition. Then, the Colts and Titans make up the hope and prayers portion of this list. The Colts are a clear 3rd because they’re more established. Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, Alex Peirce, and Adonai Mitchell are a solid room, but each has questions and/or limitations. And, do they actually have a true WR1? Which leaves just Tennessee, where you find Calvin Ridley needing a stronger 2nd year and a laundry list of unproven receivers the Titans hope will come break out quickly. Some combination of Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor, and Xavier Restrepo will need to burst onto the scene in a big way to make this room a true strength.” —Easton Freeze

Offensive line: Colts, Titans, Jaguars, Texans

“The Colts' offensive line lost two starters this offseason, but still seems far and away the best group in the AFC South. They will be returning three high-end starters in Quenton Nelson, Bernhard Raimann, and Braden Smith. And until some of the young players on the Titans or Jaguars take that next step, you could make the argument that those are the top 3 linemen in the entire division. After that, the Titans have the edge for the second spot by a solid margin. A young group added some stable veteran presences in Kevin Zeitler and Dan Moore which should raise the floor of the room tremendously as well as projecting a jump in production from JT Latham who is moving back to right tackle and Peter Skoronski.

“The Jaguars and Texans come in at third and fourth, and while the Jags have multiple question marks, they at least have some high upside options to hope that could shock people this year, like Anton Harrison and 2025 3rd round pick Wyatt Milum. The Texans watched the offensive line derail any chance they had at becoming a contender in the AFC last season. And their response to this was to trade their clear top lineman, Laremy Tunsil, to the Washington Commanders and only add one lineman in the 2025 NFL Draft. A truly puzzling decision on their part that, on paper, has their already bad offensive line worse.” —Destin Adams

Defense

Edge rusher: Texans, Jaguars, Colts, Titans

“The top edge room in the division has to go to the Texans until they prove otherwise. The duo of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. is one of the top edge rusher pairs in the NFL, let alone in the division. The closest duo in the AFC South is Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker on the Jaguars, but if you go one-for-one comparison, I think Hunter is better than Hines-Allen, and Anderson is better than Walker. The Colts and Titans are pretty clearly third and fourth on this list; neither has a bona fide alpha in their edge room, but the Colts have the edge due to the quality of players in the room. The Titans' projected top edge rusher is Arden Key, and the Colts probably have three players the majority of the league would take over him in Laiatu Latu, Kwity Paye, and Samson Ebukam. Both have intriguing young players to watch closely this season, though in Oluwafemi Oladejo and JT Tuimoloau.” —Destin Adams

Linebacker: Texans, Jaguars, Colts, Titans

“This position group is fairly straightforward, as Destin and I both agreed. The Texans' core edges out a strong and ascending Jaguars group due in part to my implicit trust in head coach Demeco Ryans to get the most out of that position. They’re also a pretty deep room: Christian Harris, Azeez Al-Shaair, Henry To’oTo’o, and EJ Speed all bring something to the team when called upon. I do really like the Jaguars' tandem of Devin Lloyd and Foye Oluokon, though, and could see them taking yet another step this season. Then the Colts bring Zaire Franklin and Jaylon Carlies, who edge out the Titans' attempt to claw their way out of the LB desert with Cody Barton and either Cedric Gray or James Williams (we think). Tennessee has upside potential, but outside of Barton, it’s all entirely unproven.” —Easton Freeze

Cornerback: Texans, Colts, Titans, Jaguars

“The Titans come in at third; I like their starting trio of L'Jarius Sneed, Jarvis Brownlee Jr., and Roger McCreary. The shocker last season, though, was how poorly Sneed played even when on the field. It's safe to assume he was never 100% healthy, so the hope will be he returns to being one of the best CBs in the NFL this season. But at this moment, I think the highest he can be ranked in the AFC South is the fourth-best CB. Coming in fourth for me is the Jaguars, whose top CB is Tyson Campbell, who had an up-and-down season last year. They added Travis Hunter this season, who has all the talent in the world, but it remains a mystery how many snaps he is going to play on the defensive side of the ball. And when he isn't playing, the team's second outside CB spot is most likely going to be a player who is a better fit in the slot, like Jarrian Jones or Jourdan Lewis." —Destin Adams

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