As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pointed out, now that Los Angeles Chargers rookie wide receiver Tre Harris has become the first of up to 30 unsigned second-round picks to hold out over guaranteed money, the pressing question isn’t just how long these holdouts will last — it’s why they didn’t start sooner.
Florio shared insight from an agent — one who doesn’t represent any of the unsigned second-rounders — who raised a sharp observation: this standoff should have begun weeks ago.
Chargers Holdout Puts Spotlight on Bigger Question: Why Did Second-Round Picks Wait So Long to Take a Stand?
Rather than using the offseason program as leverage, every unsigned second-round pick showed up. They signed participation agreements and attended mandatory minicamp, voluntarily engaging in team activities despite not being under contract. As Florio notes, they were effectively doing the job without being paid — forfeiting the only leverage they had at the time.
Now that players like Harris are staying away from training camp, the effort to hold the line may come across as reactive rather than strategic. As Florio put it, “So now they’re going to stay away?” The implication is clear: teams may view this movement as less of a united front and more of a late-stage negotiation tactic.
The push for more guaranteed money is legitimate, and the precedent set by Carson Schwesinger and Jayden Higgins gave the rest of the round reason to fight. But the missed opportunity to act earlier could weaken what should have been a coordinated effort.
Subscribe to LAFB Network’s Los Angeles Chargers YouTube Channel