Report: NFL owners looking to implement harsher holdout penalties

If NFL team owners get their way, it could become much harder for players to hold out.

During the latest round of talks for a new collective bargaining agreement, some owners proposed changes that would significantly strengthen the punishments for players who stay away from their teams during training camp, sources told Dan Graziano of ESPN.

Players who hold out from the summer workouts can currently be fined up to $40,000 for each day of training camp missed.

While it's unknown exactly what owners are proposing, one of Graziano's sources described the proposals as "draconian."

It's becoming commonplace for players to skip all of training camp to force new contracts.

Running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Melvin Gordon both did so this offseason, with Elliott later signing a big-money extension right before the regular season, while Gordon remains absent and reportedly won't return until sometime between Weeks 6 and 8.

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