The Kansas City Chiefs begin their three-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, June 13.
The upcoming practices aren’t all that different from what the team did during the course of OTAs. The team still can’t wear pads or hold full-contact practices. In fact, this portion of offseason workouts still falls under the Phase 3 guidelines, which are defined by the NFL as follows:
“Phase Three consists of the next four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or ‘OTAs’. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.
Article 22 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that clubs may hold one mandatory minicamp for veteran players. This minicamp, noted below, must occur during Phase Three of the offseason program”
The biggest difference between these three practice days and OTAs is that practice is no longer considered voluntary. All 90 players on the offseason roster will be expected to attend unless they are granted leave by the team.
NFL teams can elect to fine players for unexcused absences during the course of mandatory minicamp. The Chiefs can impose a maximum of $16,459 for the first missed day, $32,920 for the second and $49,374 for the third missed practice. In total, they can fine players over $98K for missing all three days of practice. Teams aren’t required to enforce these fines or even the maximum amount per day, but they’re within their rights to do so if they choose.
One player to keep in mind here is DT Chris Jones, who missed all of the team’s OTA practices, presumably because he’s seeking a contract extension. Jones is in the final season of his current deal and they haven’t made any public headway when it comes to agreeing to terms on an extension.
Unlike during OTAs, the Chiefs will have media availability for each of the three days of their mandatory minicamp. Expect a ton of updates throughout the next three days as a result. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news out of minicamp.
