Are NFL players fined if they don’t attend training camp? How much?

There’s still more than a month left for the beginning of the NFL 2023-24 season, but the franchises are back in action with their respective training camps.

The NFL Scouting Combine, free agency, pro days, the draft, and the minicamps are over and it’s time for all 32 teams to put in the preparation and efforts needed to enter the new term in the best possible way.

They will all try to be the next best team and win the Super Bowl, as the Kansas City Chiefs did last February.

What happens if players don’t show up at training camps?

Although players are expected to be present in their team’s training camps, holding out has become a common practice in the NFL offseason. Why? They do that to let the front office know they want better conditions.

However, if a player decides to hold off, that translates into losing big amounts of money, as they are fined for each unexcused absence at mandatory minicamps or training camps.

In the past, the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement allowed teams to forgive the fines once contract terms were met, but things have changed.

Under the current collective bargaining agreement, those players who have an unexcused absence from a minicamp can be fined $16,459 for the first day, $32,920 for the second day, and $49,374 for the third day.

Things can get even rougher if that happens in training camps, as a player can be fined $50,000 per day, $20,000 more than during the previous collective bargaining agreement.

In the case of drafted or undrafted players on rookie contracts, if they hold out they can be fined $40,000 per day. Players on the fifth-year option of their rookie deal are subject to the $50,000 fine, though.

If a veteran player holds out for the entirety of training camp, he could be fined more than $2 million.