No, veterans missing OTAs is not a big deal

As we’ve seen plenty of times with NFL franchises, the better the player and the more integral he is to a team’s success, the more he can get away with. This has sadly applied to the way teams deal with violent acts committed off-field. In this case it can also apply to whether a player can get away with not showing up at OTAs.

This year, Brady is absent from Patriots OTAs for the first time in close to a decade. The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin was quick to note that Brady missed OTAs from 2008-2010, the only three-year span in his career that didn’t involve a Super Bowl appearance. He declined to mention that one of those seasons was almost entirely lost to a freak injury that takes more than a year from which to fully recover, but sure, it’s much easier to blame one guy not showing up to voluntary practices four months before the season starts.

Most years much ado would be made about this regardless, but it’s even more pronounced these days given the reported rift between Brady and Bill Belichick and the banishment of Brady’s trainer Alex Guerrero. All that’s been a talking point in Pats coverage over the last few months. It’s a possible explanation, but so is Brady electing to spend more time with his family as a concession to Gisele, who has been vocal in the recent past about her desire for her husband to retire now that he’s crossed over the age of 40.

Often, attendance at OTAs is used as an semi-acceptable standoff in contract negotiations. That’s why Brady’s teammate Rob Gronkowski is also missing from Pats OTAs. It’s also why Donald didn’t show up at the Rams' voluntary program. Donald enters the 2018 season in the final year of his rookie contract, set to make $6.89 million. That’s not a bad salary, but it’s also not the going rate for arguably the most dominant lineman in the sport the last few seasons, as Donald has been. If Donald not being around for voluntary workouts is something people think may hurt chemistry or foster resentment among his teammates, then check in with new Rams cornerback Marcus Peters.

This is also a repeat for Donald, who missed all the voluntary workouts last offseason as he campaigned for a new deal that never arrived. That didn’t seem to hamper his performance on-field as the 2017 season eventually arrived.

Players, especially decorated veterans, have worked enough at their craft to be able to stay well-conditioned on their own. No-contact drills, the only kind allowed at OTAs, also aren’t the best approximation of actual football, so while a little opportunity is lost to build relationships with new teammates, it can be made up later. After all, mandatory minicamps are only a few weeks away, and it’s clear Donald is making sure to put in his own work in the meantime.

Likewise, Earl Thomas hasn’t appeared at Seahawks OTAs because he wants to be among the highest paid safeties in the league, though Seattle at the moment doesn’t appear too keen on the idea of giving him another extension after signing him to one in 2014. Thomas was contemplating retirement after breaking his leg late in the 2016 season but said last year that Eric Berry’s six-year, $78 million deal, with $40 million guaranteed, was among the factors that convinced him to stay. Thomas has said he would like to retire, yet he is willing to hold out longer this offseason. If Thomas and the Seahawks can’t reach a new deal, the safety would become an unrestricted free agent in 2019 at the age of 30.

Of course, absences from Seahawks OTAs were a fixture in the recent past from veterans. Michael Bennett and Marshawn Lynch habitually skipped them, and the team was just fine. Perhaps a new era of the Seahawks is coming, but Pete Carroll doesn’t seem overly concerned about Thomas not being there right now.

There are other examples around the league of prominent players being MIA at OTAs. Julio Jones was absent from the first day of Falcons activities. No one is quite sure if that’s a sign of discontent with his deal, since Jones has always been lax about attending them. As long he’s his usual self come the regular season, no one in the organization much cares.

One player who is back at OTAs after missing them last year due to a contract dispute is Odell Beckham Jr., but the Giants star has a reason to be: He’s returning from injury and trying to ease himself back into football shape. That’s probably the best reason for players to attend OTAs, at least for those who can get away with missing them.