Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, rookie contract negotiations are fairly textbook. Players are constricted by the confines of their draft slot, meaning that we have less holdouts and deal delays than ever. 
Still, draft picks are not mandated to sign with their respective clubs, and the drafting team does not hold the player’s rights in perpetuity. In theory, a player can hold out for the entire year and re-enter the draft in the following season. Even though NFL draft picks are boxed in by the slotting system and unable to choose their employer, they are not completely without leverage.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a notable draft pick really go to the mat with his team, but it’s not unprecedented. In 1983, John Elway was selected first overall by the Baltimore Colts, but he threatened to pursue a career in Major League Baseball unless the team traded him elsewhere. Fearing that Elway’s threat was serious, the quarterback got his way when the Colts shipped him to the Broncos. Elway was satisfied with the trade, we never got to find out whether the future Hall of Famer would have followed through on his suggested season-long holdout.
In 1986, fellow two-sport star Bo Jackson refused to report to the Buccaneers after they drafted him No. 1 overall. Jackson spent the year in the Kansas City Royals’ organization instead and the Bucs were forced to renounce his rights prior to the 1987 draft. The Raiders, in turn, made one of the savviest seventh-round picks in franchise history when they selected the legendary athlete with the No. 183 overall pick.
It’s hard to imagine a drafted player taking a similar route today, but it’s always possible. A few years ago, Joey Bosa stared down the Chargers until the two sides finally reached an agreement on offset language in late August. The Chargers ultimately backed down from their position out of fear that Bosa could miss games as a rookie and maybe even re-enter the draft in 2017.
It’s safe to say that this year’s draft will not produce a year-long holdout, but a rookie’s ability to re-enter the draft is something to keep in mind for future disputes.
like brother like brother
Bosa has missed plenty of games after signing as well.
Offset language is such a minor issue to fight over…..
It’s one of the few things that they can fight over, and a good agent owes it to his client to get the best deal they can get.
I remember Michael Crabtree being another example of someone who threatened to sit out a year, but that was also a few years ago when there was a lot more freedom in negotiating rookie deals
And, even with all of Crabtree’s diva antics/demands, his play never really met his high maintenance level.
FYI- Elway did state in a documentary what he was planning on doing. He was 100% going to sign with the Yankees and re-enter the draft the following year.