Any NFL player missing minicamp or organized team activities (OTA) amid a contract dispute is sure to make headlines, especially when a star player like Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson sits out.
Other players whose OTA attendance has been an issue include San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward, Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb, Cincinnati That includes Bengals pass catcher Tee Higgins.
But how often does a kicker stay away from OTAs while looking for a new contract? The Carolina Panthers are facing that situation with Eddie Pineiro missing Monday's team practice.
Pineiro, 28, is signed through the 2024-25 season, the final year of a two-year deal he agreed to with Carolina in 2023. However, he is seeking a raise beyond the $2.5 million he is due. He ranks 21st among NFL kickers in terms of average annual salary.
Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens and Jake Elliott of the Philadelphia Eagles are the league's highest-paid players at their positions, averaging $6 million a season, according to Over the Cap.
Pineiro has completed 89 percent of his kicks in his career, the third-highest rate among kickers with at least 100 successful kicks in NFL history. (Only Tucker and the Kansas City Chiefs' Harrison Butker were better.) Last season, the fourth-year pro completed 25 of 29 kicks for 56 yards. That ranks 17th in the league, a number that Pineiro may not bring to the negotiating table.
New Panthers head coach Dave Canales was asked about Pineiro's absence and said he had not spoken to the kicker. Pineiro also did not participate in the Panthers' minicamp earlier in the offseason.
“We're just focused on the players we have here,” Canales said. “It's nice to have Harrison Mevis here and really get us through the field goal/field goal block period. We're just focused on the guys we have here. I'm sure Eddie is going to be great about this whole game. You must have a plan.”
Canales' reference to Mevis shows the risk Pineiro is taking by skipping OTAs. The 5-foot-11, 243-pound “thick kicker” is Missouri's all-time leading scorer with 405 points, completing 78.3 percent of his kicks and converting 147 of the Tigers' 148 extra points. He holds the SEC longest field goal record with his 61-yard field goal in a win over Kansas State last season.
Panthers punter Johnny Hekker, who filled in for Pineiro's kicks, didn't mind his teammate's absence.
“He has a younger brother who is a senior in high school and he wants to be there to help train,” Hecker told The Athletic's Joe Person. “Eddie has been training with himself and his father, and he's been training with other kickers. I believe he's a professional and does things the right way. That's why he's back. When he arrives, he'll be ready to hit the ground running.”
