With Aaron Rodgers off the free-agent board at last, the other top stories from the NFL’s OTAs

⋅ Several star players are still grumpy about their contracts and have skipped the voluntary OTAs, among them Trey Hendrickson, Jalen Ramsey, Terry McLaurin, T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, and Jonnu Smith. If they skip minicamp, they face cumulative fines up to $104,768. Of course, that money could be more than offset by a new contract, but it’s still something to consider. (Parsons has said on social media he will be in attendance.)

Of that group, McLaurin and Smith are the likeliest to get new contracts from their teams in the near future. The Cowboys will eventually pay Parsons the $40 million-plus he seeks, but Jerry Jones sure seems to like dragging these negotiations out for maximum drama. Hendrickson remains at an impasse with the Bengals, and minicamp will be a good test of how much he is willing to push it.

⋅ The AFC South has two quarterbacks sitting due to injury. The Texans are holding C.J. Stroud out of practices as he deals with shoulder soreness but don’t appear concerned. “When the moment is for him to be ready to go, he’ll be ready to go,” coach DeMeco Ryans said.

The Colts’ situation bears watching, though. Former No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson, entering his all-important third season, will miss the final week of offseason practices after aggravating the AC joint in his throwing shoulder.

While not a big injury in a vacuum, it’s a bad omen for Richardson, who is fighting to save his job this year. He has missed 19 of 34 games in two seasons, and he has real competition for the starting job in Daniel Jones, who is making far more guaranteed money in 2025 — $13.1 million to $3.8 million. I found it interesting last week when a league source said he believes Jones will be the league’s most impactful free agent this fall — and that was before news of Richardson’s shoulder injury emerged.

⋅ Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has every right to skip voluntary OTAs, as he did last year, but it is a strange look for a starter not to be working with the guys, even if the practices and workouts are more ceremonial. Jackson is also foregoing a $750,000 workout bonus that would be earned by attending 27 of 32 workouts.

“I’m not taking any position on it, judging it,” said coach John Harbaugh, probably doing a good job of masking his true feelings.

⋅ Jackson isn’t the only player turning down a big bonus. Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs is passing on a $500,000 workout bonus to instead train in Miami alongside his brother, Stefon, who himself is skipping out on a $200,000 one by not attending 27 of 32 offseason workouts.

If the Patriots were serious about wanting Diggs to be in Foxborough this spring, they would have offered him more than $200,000. That’s a lot of money for you and me, but not enough to get someone who has made $137 million in career earnings and is becoming a mega-star through his relationship with Cardi B to change his offseason routine.

Diggs was in attendance at Monday’s voluntary practice and should be present at minicamp.

⋅ David Andrews wasn’t the only veteran center to retire last week. The Lions lost three-time All-Pro center Frank Ragnow, who walked away after seven seasons due to a litany of injuries that included a fractured throat and “the most severe degree of turf toe” that lingered for several years.

The Lions have had major turnover on the coaching staff this year, losing both coordinators and several assistants. They also will have big changes on the offensive line after losing Ragnow, plus left guard Kevin Zeitler to the Titans.

“He will be sorely missed, but man, this train rolls on,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.

⋅ About half of the 32 teams will suffer a significant season-ending injury before Week 1, and it unfortunately started last week when Steelers tight end Donald Parham, formerly of the Chargers, tore his Achilles’ in practice. Parham, who stands 6-foot-8, caught 11 touchdowns in four seasons and could have been a nice red zone target for Rodgers.

⋅ Several other top players won’t be participating in minicamp this week as they return from injury, among them wide receivers Tyreek Hill (Dolphins, wrist), Rashee Rice (Chiefs, LCL), and Malik Nabers (Giants, toe); and defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson (Lions, leg), and Joey Bosa (Bills, calf). With Hill, the health of his wrist might be related to the status of his contract or his ability to get traded.

⋅ Fighting is common in training camp when pads are on — temperatures are high, and everyone is battling for a job — but the Giants didn’t wait. Defenders Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux threw helmets, punches, and haymakers with offensive linemen James Hudson and Jermaine Eluemunor as teammates poured in from the sidelines. Coach Brian Daboll immediately called off the rest of practice.

“The only thing I’m mad about is that we had to go ahead and call it,” Burns said. “We got most of our work done today, but I just want to stay away from that.”

The Steelers finally agreed to a one-year deal with Aaron Rodgers last week, a move they had to make. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields weren’t the answer. Sam Darnold at $35 million per year wasn’t, either, and Rodgers is probably better than every draft prospect that was available with the 21st pick.

He still represents a major organizational failure. This is what happens when a team does the bare minimum at quarterback.

The Steelers’ troubles go back to 2019, when Ben Roethlisberger hurt his elbow and was lost for the season. They didn’t prepare for the future the next offseason, hung on to Roethlisberger at least a year too long, and have since cycled through a who’s who of retreads and never-beens.

There has been no foresight from the front office to find the next QB. No boldness to move up in the draft, or to find anyone who is more than a Band-Aid or a lottery ticket.

Drafting Kenny Pickett when he falls to you with the 20th pick isn’t a bold move. Nor is signing Mitchell Trubisky, Wilson, and Fields off the scrap heap and hoping they out-perform their contracts. Now, it’s Rodgers, who looked gun-shy and immobile last year with the Jets.

The Steelers haven’t swung for any fences, content instead to go 9-8 every year and lose in the playoffs. (They’ve gone seven straight seasons without winning a postseason game.)

Yes, it’s hard finding a franchise QB, and the Steelers should be commended for always being competitive enough to never pick in the top 10. That doesn’t excuse their inability to find a follow-up to Roethlisberger. The Patriots drafted Jimmy Garoppolo. The Chiefs traded up from No. 27 to 10 to draft Patrick Mahomes. It can be done.

Instead, the Steelers have sat back and let the universe plop a quarterback in their lap for five years. They’ll have to do it again next offseason, unless they finally get bold and make a big move.

⋅ Sean Payton and the Broncos have become a haven for former Patriots. Camren Williams, the college scouting director who had been with the organization since 2016, left last month to become a co-pro personnel director in Denver. Evan Rothstein, who did everything from analytics to coaching offensive line and quarterbacks since coming to New England in 2021 with Matt Patricia, joined the Broncos in March as an offensive line assistant and director of game management.

The Patriots reportedly filled Williams’ role internally with national scout Tony Kinkela. They are replacing Rothstein with John Streicher, Mike Vrabel’s right-hand man from Tennessee, and Ekene Olekanma, formerly the coordinator of football R&D for the 49ers who will be the Patriots’ director of coaching analytics.

⋅ With the Steelers coming to Foxborough on Sept. 21, it will likely mark the second year in a row that the Patriots face Aaron Rodgers in Week 3. It should be three years, but Rodgers missed the Patriots-Jets game in 2023 with his torn Achilles’. Last year, Rodgers and the Jets beat the Patriots, 24-3, on Thursday Night Football.

⋅ Left tackle Will Campbell signed his slotted rookie contract last week, which pays him $43.662 million over four years as the No. 4 pick. Though it is fully guaranteed, the structure of the payments left room for negotiation. Campbell, like every other first-round pick so far, negotiated for minimum base salaries each season, plus a sizable roster bonus payment on the third day of training camp from 2026-28. This minimizes the financial impact of any sort of suspension or lost paycheck, since only base salary is affected.

⋅ Bad news for out-of-town fans. NFL Network is carrying 21 preseason games live this year, but none involving the Patriots. The games against the Commanders and Vikings will be on WBZ and the Patriots Preseason TV Network, while the finale against the Giants will be on Prime Video (plus a local channel in Boston and Providence).

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald is correct that it’s “crazy” to think Sam Darnold could lose the starting job before Week 1. Injuries are one thing, but the Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year contract worth a maximum of $115.5 million for a reason. It’s hard seeing any scenario in which backups Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe beat Darnold out in training camp.

“I respect that you’ve got to ask it, but it’s just a crazy question,” Macdonald said on 710-AM after Darnold threw a couple of picks in OTAs. “Sam’s our starting quarterback. We love him. He’s doing a tremendous job.”

That doesn’t mean Darnold is guaranteed to finish the season. His contract is really just one year guaranteed for $37.5 million. His 2026 season, worth $27.5 million, is guaranteed for injury only and doesn’t become fully guaranteed until the fifth day of the league year next March. His 2027 season ($35.5 million) has no guarantees.

Realistically, Darnold has through November to prove that he’s worth the investment for 2026. If he doesn’t, the Seahawks easily could bench him down the stretch and release him next March without owing him another dime. A lot will likely depend on the progress of Milroe, a third-round pick who has tremendous physical tools but is raw as a passer.

Derek Carr made almost $200 million in on-field earnings over his 11-year NFL career, so he’s not exactly hurting for money. He walked away from the Saints this offseason with a $10 million roster bonus he earned in March despite his impending retirement.

Still, few people would have made the decision Carr did, which was to forgo the $30 million in salary this year he was contractually entitled to. Carr officially hit the retired list last week as he deals with a shoulder injury.

“I didn’t want to have surgery and just sit there and — it sounds crazy but — just take the Saints money,” he told Front Office Sports. “I knew my heart was at peace, and that’s really all that mattered.”

Carr is only 34 and should have several years of football left if he gets his shoulder fixed, but told his agent recently that he’s done.

“I sent him a picture of me on the beach with my two kids playing. And I said, ‘This beats an OTA any day,’ ” he said.

That’s fair, but few players ever say they miss June practices. Let’s see how Carr feels come September, when FOMO usually sets in.

Yes, spring OTAs are voluntary. Players aren’t wearing pads, and the practices are meant more for teaching than pure competition. That doesn’t mean the coaches like seeing interceptions and other mistakes. “Well, I care,” Mike Vrabel said when asked about Drake Maye’s four-interception practice. “I care about every player’s performance and that we continue to improve. There has been great improvement. Everybody’s going to have a bad day. There’s a lot of reasons that go into it.” … The Chargers ripped the heart out of San Diegans in 2017 when they abandoned their home of 55 years and moved to Los Angeles. So it certainly takes some gall for them to host two training camp practices in San Diego on July 22-23, ostensibly as a marketing venture. One of the practices will only be open to active-duty servicemen, veterans, and their families, but the other will be open to the public. Chargers owner Dean Spanos may want to stay out of the spotlight on those days … Former BC receiver Zay Flowers, who has 1,917 regular-season yards and nine touchdowns in two seasons for the Ravens, recently switched agents. He still has two years left on his rookie deal but will be eligible for a new contract next offseason … This fall, Clemson plays at North Carolina and Boston College in consecutive weeks. “I feel like we’re playing the whole Patriots organization in a two-week span,” coach Dabo Swinney quipped, referring to head coaches Bill Belichick and Bill O’Brien … Patriots receiver Mack Hollins will be participating in BlitzChamps IV on June 16, an online chess tournament with $100,000 in charity prizes. Hollins is playing for Thumbs Up Mission, which supports families of cancer patients, and will battle Justin Herbert, Justin Reid, Harrison Phillips, Richard Sherman, and A.J. Dillon … Few people would have noticed the Falcons’ social media post last week of cornerback Mike Ford and safety Jessie Bates had the team left it alone, but the Falcons deleted the post because Ford and Bates wear jersey Nos. 3 and 28. And here we are, talking about their all-time choke in Super Bowl LI again.

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Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.