Why can't a team just waive the holdout fines to end a standoff?

For a veteran on a signed contract, the 2020 CBA makes the fines mandatory and bars the club from reducing or waiving them. That rule removes the team's discretion to blink, which is what shifts the cost of a holdout onto the player.

Do holdouts still work if the fines are so steep?

Stars still reset the market, as Chris Jones's eventual extension shows, but the CBA raised the cost of the holdout tactic specifically. The smarter path is often a hold-in, applying pressure without triggering the non-waivable fines or losing a credited season.

sports · 2020 to 2024

The Superstar Holdout

A star withholds his talent to force a new deal. But the collective bargaining agreement quietly rewrote the game, making the fines mandatory and turning a two-sided standoff into a one-sided cost.

Facts drawn from the NFL collective bargaining agreement and reported holdout cases through 2024.

The 2020 NFL collective bargaining agreement sharply raised the cost of holding out. A veteran who holds out of mandatory training camp faces a fine of 50,000 dollars per day, up from 30,000 dollars under the prior agreement [VERIFIED]. The CBA text makes these fines mandatory and bars the club from reducing or waiving them for a veteran on a signed contract.

The unwaivable provision is the key. The mandatory-fine language appears in the sections covering veterans on signed deals but not in the sections covering players on rookie contracts, where teams may still forgive camp fines. Missing time can also cost a player a credited season toward free agency under the CBA's reporting rules.

Play the same structure: The Star Who Won't Report.

Sources

[VERIFIED] Under the 2020 NFL CBA, a veteran holding out of camp faces a mandatory 50,000 dollar daily fine that the club cannot waive, up from 30,000 dollars. NBC Sports, Chris Jones faces non-waivable daily fine of 50,000
[VERIFIED] The NFL CBA holdout fine and reporting provisions govern accrued seasons and mandatory fines for veterans. Over The Cap, NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 42
[VERIFIED] Chris Jones held out through Week 1 of 2023, forfeiting a 500,000 dollar bonus, daily fines, and nearly 1.1 million dollars of a game check. Newsweek, Chris Jones Fines: the financial cost of his holdout
[VERIFIED] Jones signed a one-year deal to end his 2023 holdout. NFL.com, Chiefs, DL Chris Jones agree to new one-year deal to end holdout (September 2023)
[VERIFIED] Jones's March 2024 extension made him the NFL's highest-paid defensive tackle at 31.75 million dollars per year. NFL.com, Chiefs, Chris Jones agree to five-year, $158.75 million deal with $101 million in guarantees (March 2024)