“Trying to always continually make the roster more competitive and trying to find everybody that can continually help us from now until the end of the season, I think that just has to go on,” Vrabel said. “That has to happen. Whether that does or not, I don’t know.

“It’s not going to keep us from looking, trying to bring up ideas or players, or how we acquire players between now and the end of the season.”

Contract disgruntlement happens every year, sparking conversations about potential trades. A player, typically entering the final season of his contract, is dissatisfied with his compensation, so he sits out or limits his participation in practices to put pressure on the team to offer a new deal.

The parties often reach an agreement, although there are the rare instances in which they decide to move on.

Let’s take a look at some of the notable players angling for new contracts.

Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin: The 29-year-old has established himself as one of the NFL’s most reliable receivers since getting drafted in the third round in 2019.

McLaurin has been productive despite Washington’s quarterback woes and organizational dysfunction, eclipsing 75 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in five of his six seasons. The addition of franchise-altering rookie Jayden Daniels helped McLaurin break out for 13 receiving touchdowns last season. Only Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase caught more.

It makes sense that McLaurin is seeking a new contract. He’s obviously the team’s top target. He hasn’t missed a game the last four seasons. His teammates voted him a captain his second year in the league.

The average annual value (AAV) of McLaurin’s deal ($23.2 million) ranks 16th among his position group. Pittsburgh’s DK Metcalf ($33 million) and Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins ($28.75 million) both inked lucrative extensions this offseason, so McLaurin is likely seeking an AAV closer to that range.

Moving on from McLaurin would be a stunning decision from an ascending Commanders team that is not only looking to maximize Daniels, but continue its culture shift under new ownership. Washington’s wide receiver room also has Deebo Samuel, Noah Brown, Luke McCaffrey, and fourth-round pick Jaylin Lane.

If McLaurin and the Commanders are unable to come to an agreement, then he would become a coveted trade piece, and a sensible target for the Patriots despite their glut of receivers.

Bills running back James Cook: Coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, Cook skipped Buffalo’s voluntary practices, but attended mandatory minicamp to avoid fines that would have exceeded $100,000.

The 25-year-old Cook said he has no “hard feelings” over the state of negotiations. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, he is set to earn $5.142 million in base salary in 2025.

“Everything is going to work out the way it’s supposed to,” he said.

In February, Cook indicated on social media he is looking for $15 million per year. That AAV would slot him third, tied with Derrick Henry and behind only Saquon Barkley ($20.6 million) and Christian McCaffrey ($19 million).

Cook rushed for a league-high 16 touchdowns last season, but his starting number seems awfully high. The NFL had financially devalued the running back position in recent years, before Barkley’s new deal this offseason helped reset the market.

Since getting hired in 2017, general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott have drafted four running backs. The organization did not extend Devin Singletary (third round in 2019) or Zack Moss (third round in 2020), while Cook (second round in 2022) and Ray Davis (fourth round in 2024) remain under contract.

Buffalo also is pressed for salary cap space, ranking last in the league. It wouldn’t be shocking if Cook ends up playing this season in Buffalo even without securing an extension.

“Listen, I’m sure he’s going to want to come out and prove the value that he and his reps put on him, like, ‘Hey, let me show you,’ ” Beane said. “If we’re not there, ‘I’m going to go out there and do it again.’ He’d be showing us and then obviously showing the whole league as well.”

Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson: Cincinnati took care of deals for Chase, Higgins, and tight end Mike Gesicki this offseason, but Hendrickson remains in want of a new contract — and hasn’t minced his words.

“When there’s a lack of communication in any relationship, whether it’s a business or personal relationship, lack of communication leads to animosity,” Hendrickson said in May. “That leaves my narrative only to me with no clear direction.”

Of the holdouts, Hendrickson seems to be both the most public and most dramatic. Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn in April said the organization has made what it deems a competitive offer. Hendrickson clearly disagrees.

The 30-year-old is entering the final season of his contract, slated to earn $15.8 million in base salary in 2025. His AAV ranks 11th among edge rushers. After skipping Cincinnati’s voluntary practices as well as mandatory minicamp, Hendrickson has said he will not play for the Bengals without a new deal.

Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, who initially requested a trade, recently landed a record-setting extension with an AAV of $40 million, making him the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

Over the past two seasons, Hendrickson leads the league in sacks with 35. He was on the field for 72.5 percent of the defense’s snaps in 2024 and 67.82 percent in 2023.

Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons: The 26-year-old Parsons is awaiting a new contract, but reported to minicamp. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Thursday that “most people believe a deal will get done at some point here in the coming weeks.”

The contract is expected to exceed Garrett’s record value.

Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt: Coach Mike Tomlin said this month that he’s “optimistic” the organization will reach an extension with the 30-year-old Watt, though he doesn’t have a timeline on negotiations. Watt’s terms could be influential for Hendrickson’s, or vice versa.

Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith: After putting up career numbers last season — 88 catches for 884 yards and eight touchdowns — Smith didn’t attend voluntary practices or mandatory minicamp.

The 29-year-old seems to have rebuilt his value after two underwhelming seasons in New England, but will the Dolphins pay up? Smith’s AAV of $4.2 million ranks 32nd in the league, while Miami is dealing with limited cap space.

No sale

Even after seeing two NBA franchises sell for billions of dollars, Patriots owner Robert Kraft doesn’t sound at all tempted to give up his stake in the organization.

“It’s nice, but to me, it’s like your house going up in value,” Kraft said during a live taping of “The Adam Schefter Podcast” last weekend at Fanatics Fest. “In my lifetime, and I believe in my children’s lifetime, we’re keeping control.”

The Celtics sold in March for a valuation of $6.1 billion, setting the record for the highest sum paid for a US pro sports franchise. The Lakers shattered that, with the Buss family selling controlling interest for a valuation of $10 billion.

The 84-year-old Kraft bought the Patriots for a record $172 million in 1994. Jonathan, his oldest son and club president, is set to take over, though Kraft hasn’t discussed the timing of a succession plan.

As for Kraft’s expectations for this season?

“Any Patriots fans that are out there, I can tell you I’m very excited for the upcoming season,” he said. “The last two years were the worst two years of my 31 years of ownership. We have to change that. We have a new coach in Mike Vrabel, who’s really connected with the players, who’s doing great work. We have a young quarterback, a lot of great free agent veterans who came in, and a great draft class. We’re going to have fun this year, I promise.”

Also from the second annual Fanatics Fest:

⋅ Tom Brady made the rounds in New York City, seemingly making the most number of appearances of any of the 300 participating athletes.

Brady also won the inaugural Fanatics Games, a competition that featured 50 athletes and celebrities as well as 50 fans. The three-day event consisted of eight sports-based challenges: “quarterback skills” in football, “around the world” in basketball, “pitching accuracy” in baseball, “closest to the pin” in golf, “superstar entrance” in WWE, “goal scoring” in soccer, “Washer-Dryer puck shooting” in hockey, and “striking” in UFC.

For his “superstar entrance,” Brady stole the show by spitting and stomping on a Jets jersey before ripping an Eli Manning jersey in half.

The soon-to-be 48-year-old Brady finished atop the leaderboard by a healthy margin, outscoring the likes of Manning (who finished fifth), Tyreek Hill, Rob Gronkowski, Jayden Daniels, and Julian Edelman.

As the winner, Brady earned $1 million. He paid the third-place finisher $250,000 for a 2003-04 Topps Chrome Gold Refractor LeBron James rookie card, then said he would give each of the 49 other participating fans $5,000. The rest would be donated to charity.

Kudos for Freiermuth

Massachusetts native Pat Freiermuth deserves a shoutout for stepping in for former teammate George Pickens, who bailed on a youth football camp this weekend in Pittsburgh.

Pickens agreed to host the camp prior to getting traded to Dallas this May. According to an email from the camp organizers, TruEdge Sports, Pickens’s representation ensured at the time that the 24-year-old wide receiver would still attend despite changing teams.

Days before the camp, Pickens apparently changed his mind.

“TruEdge was notified by George’s team that he has decided to walk back on his word and is no longer interested in attending the camp,” organizers wrote in a strongly worded email.

“Our team at TruEdge was fully prepared to host a camp this Saturday because we were led to believe George would follow through on his commitment. His sudden decision to back out not only reflects a disappointing lack of accountability, but also shows a disregard for the families and children who were excited to meet him.”

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said last season that Pickens needed to “grow up,” and this certainly seems to be another example in support of that sentiment. Good on Freiermuth for trying to help.

Great reception

When asked at the end of mandatory minicamp about his offseason plans, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye didn’t have much to say other than he was getting married.

Engaged in January, Maye and his middle school sweetheart, Ann Michael Hudson, tied the knot last weekend at the Grandfather Mountain Golf & Country Club in Linville, N.C. Among those in attendance were Patriots tight end Hunter Henry, as well as Vikings quarterback (and Maye’s college teammate) Sam Howell.

The demands of the NFL schedule obviously restricts the number of potential dates for a wedding, so this time of year is a popular stretch for such occasions. Other players to get married this spring include Buffalo’s Josh Allen, New England’s Jaylinn Hawkins, Jacksonville’s Travis Hunter, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, Chicago’s Cole Kmet, and Detroit’s Sam LaPorta.

The Mayes are now on their honeymoon in St. Lucia.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Josh Allen said that former teammate Stefon Diggs will bring “a lot of security for Drake [Maye].” Buffalo’s trade for Diggs in 2020 served as a catalyst in elevating both Allen and the offense. Even though the 31-year-old Diggs is coming off a torn ACL, the hope is he can have a similar impact on Maye and the Patriots. Said Allen, “I think Drake is super talented. He’s one of my favorite young quarterbacks in the league. I’ve spent some time around him and he’s got his head on his shoulders the right way. He just does things the right way. I think he exemplifies football. He’ll take it and run, he’ll throw it. To have someone like Stefon is going to help him out a lot.” . . . The fifth annual Tight End University wrapped up last weekend in Nashville. What started as a three-day summit for tight ends to train and hang out together has evolved into a full-scale fete overflowing with sponsors. A surprise performance from popstar (and TEU co-founder Travis Kelce’s girlfriend) Taylor Swift upstaged any football festivities this year . . . Ex-ESPN reporter Pablo Torre unearthed a January decision from an arbiter that ruled NFL clubs did not collude to limit fully guaranteed contracts in response to Deshaun Watson’s unprecedented deal. In 2022, the NFL Players Association filed a grievance alleging the league had colluded to reduce the amount of guaranteed money in contracts, specifically highlighting the negotiations of Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, and Russell Wilson. The arbiter acknowledged the NFL management council encouraged clubs to limit their guarantees, but did not find enough evidence the clubs actually agreed to do so. The union lost the grievance, so no economic damages were awarded. The decision previously had not been made public . . . The NFL content machine stays strong amid the league’s slowest period of the year. The list of the top 100 players will start its release on June 30, while the second season of Netflix’s “Quarterback” will premiere July 8 . . . Former Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has probably played his last NFL game, after the league suspended him 10 weeks for violating the personal conduct policy. It would be surprising to see a team sign him, given his position, age (35), dip in performance, and off-field allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior toward massage therapists. Last season, Tucker converted a career-low 73.3 percent of field goal attempts.

Nicole Yang can be reached at [email protected] her @nicolecyang.