Connor Williams Expected at Start of Camp

The Miami Dolphins will not have to start training camp missing a player unhappy with his contract situation the way the Kansas City Chiefs did.

Center Connor Williams skipped the offseason program, including the mandatory minicamp, but his agent Drew Rosenhaus said on his weekly segment on South Florida TV station WSVN that Williams would be on hand this week when Dolphins veterans report for camp and start practicing.

Breaking: per Drew Rosenhaus, #Dolphins client, Connor Williams WILL report to Training Camp on Tuesday after skipping mandatory mini camp. The center played every offensive snap last season and is seeking a new contract. #Finsup #NFL #nfltwitter #TrainingCamp pic.twitter.com/CLun4Zvnkr
— Josh Moser (@TheMozKnowz) July 24, 2023

The same goes for Rosenhaus client Zach Sieler, who also is looking for a new contract, though Sieler did attend the mandatory minicamp in June.

THE CBA RULES HELPING OUT IN THIS CASE

Williams' position is a lot more common than that of Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, who stayed away from the start of camp as he looks for an extension.

The reason is the current CBA, which calls for daily fines of $50,000 for players under contract, fines that cannot be waived in a subsequent contract agreement. That's unlike fines for missing the mandatory offseason minicamp, which can be rescinded as part of a new deal — which is what happened with cornerback Xavien Howard in 2021.

It's also important to note that fines only can be levied at players actually "holding out," and that means those with signed contracts. It does not apply to players like Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs who have yet to sign their franchise tag and therefore are unsigned.

WHAT NEXT WITH WILLIAMS AND SIELER?

Because of the 2020 CBA pretty much has eliminated holdouts, what has started happening are "hold-ins," where players simply declare themselves injured and decline to practice.

How much work Williams does at practice in the early days of training camp or until his contract is addressed — if it does end up being addressed — will be one of the storylines of training camp.

Williams and Sieler are among 29 Dolphins players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents after the 2023 season, and they're looking for new and more lucrative contracts.

Williams is in the second year of the two-year deal he signed last offseason as a free agent coming over from the Dallas Cowboys and is scheduled to make $6.5 million in base salary, $2 million of which is guaranteed. His cap number, peroverthecap.com, is $8.35 million.

Sieler, meanwhile, represents one of the biggest bargains on the team. He's in the final year of a three-year extension he signed in 2020 and is scheduled to make $2.5 million in base salary with a cap number of only $3.2 million.

The Dolphins have a lot of work on their hands with all those expiring contracts because others in the same category include DT Christian Wilkins, Robert Hunt, Raekwon Davis, Austin Jackson, Andrew Van Ginkel and Brandon Jones.