A holdout in football is a professional player who does not report to his team for play or practice. This player can be a veteran player who is under contract or a rookie who was recently drafted. In most cases, a player holds out for financial reasons. A veteran might be unhappy with his contract and want more money or different working conditions. Team management may negotiate with a holdout or demand that the player report to work under the terms of the contract that was previously signed.
Rookie Holdouts
Before the 2011 season, rookies selected in the first round of the NFL Draft were able to negotiate contracts without limit. If a player drafted high in the first round was unhappy with the contract offered by the team that drafted him, he could hold out until the team raised its contract offer or the player lowered his request. Because teams usually wanted rookies in training camp early, a rookie holdout hurt the team. That gave the rookie leverage, and he could maintain a holdout throughout training camp. However, a rookie wage scale was instituted in 2011 and that gave draft picks a limit on how much they could get in their initial contract. That makes rookie holdouts less likely in the future.
Veteran Holdouts
When a veteran player holds out, it is likely because he is unhappy with the terms of his contract. A player under these circumstances may legally play out the term of his contract, become a free agent and sign with another team if his original team does not label him a franchise player. However, a player may decide that he doesn't want to play under the terms of his contract and not report to his team.
Team Options
If a player is under contract, the team may fine the player for failing to live up to the terms of his contract. But if the player has exceeded previous expectations and has been a good citizen off the field, the team may decide it wants to reward the player by giving him a new contract. Under most circumstances, the team will renegotiate before the player has decided to hold out. If the player is one of the most valuable contributors and the team will suffer without his services, it may decide to renegotiate the contract.
Setting Precedent
Teams are usually hesitant to appease a holdout because it sets a precedent for the organization. If the team gives in to player A's demands and renegotiates an existing contract, what's to stop player B from holding out and asking for more money or a new deal? Because most players understand that teams rarely give in to player holdouts and rarely renegotiate when players hold out, most will play out their contracts and simply take advantage of free agency when it becomes available.
Emmit Smith Holdout
Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith was unhappy with his contract before the 1993 season and did not report to Cowboys training camp. Cowboy owner Jerry Jones was unwilling to renegotiate and thought the idea of not getting paid would entice Smith to live up to the terms of his deal. However, Smith knew that the Cowboys would not be a championship team without him, and they lost the first two games of the season. Jones was rattled and he ended up giving Smith a $13.5 million contract that included $7 million in bonuses.
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