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Ranking the top 10 most notable holdouts in NFL history

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For better or for worse, holdouts are a part of the NFL game, and this offseason was no exception. Star players like Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack and Le’Veon Bell skipped training camp and the preseason all with the hope of securing a new payday.

For Donald and Mack, the holdout seemed to work. Donald signed a six-year extension with the Rams worth $135 million ($87 million guaranteed), while Mack was traded from the Raiders to the Bears, who quickly inked him to a six-year, $141 million deal with $90 million in guaranteed money.

Bell, meanwhile, is still holding out, and may do so for the foreseeable future. Missing a star player like Bell definitely hinders the Steelers, who have Super Bowl aspirations.

Bell can now add his name to a long list of players who have held out before. Here’s a look back at 10 of the most notable holdouts in league history.

10. Chris Johnson

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Lightning fast Titans running back Chris Johnson skipped three weeks of training camp in 2011 before signing a big contract with Tennessee that September. The four-year deal was worth $53.5 million, $30 million of which was guaranteed.

9. Cornelius Bennett

Stephen Dunn-Allsport

After the Colts took him with the second overall pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, Cornelius Bennett held out for more than three months. Then, after the players’ strike ended, the talented pass rusher got dealt to the Bills as part of the three-way Eric Dickerson trade. Bennett was a cornerstone of the great Buffalo teams of the late ’80s and early ’90s.

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