Like many of you, I too had noticed the trend to tell holdouts that teams won't negotiate until they get their ass to camp. It seemed to work with Devin Hester, and both the Bills and Rams are doing it with their respective top players.
What I did not know, however, was whether there was some sort of gentleman's agreement between the owners in order to cut down on holdouts, or if there was some other factor.
As it turns out, there is a possible reason why this is occurring. While reading one of my favorite sources of football information, I came across this explanation:
In 2010, if there is no CBA, Peters would have 6 years of seniority and eligible for Free Agency (2004-2009). However, if the Bills let him sit out to the point it impacts his accrued seasons, he'll be stuck with the Bills. The same is occurring with Steven Jackson, who was drafted in 2004.