How NFL holdouts fared in Week 1: Evaluating performances of CeeDee Lamb, Ja’Marr Chase and other stars

It’s fair to say that most NFL teams looked rusty in Week 1 of the regular season, but some were more rusty than others. There is, of course, a great debate centered around playing your starters in the preseason, but then there are other starters who missed considerable time in training camp due to contract issues.

This offseason, we saw both holdouts and “hold-ins.” Some players received the long-term lucrative extensions they were after, while others did not. In fact, New York Jets pass rusher Haason Reddick is still holding out!

How did the players who held out or held in this offseason fare in their respective season openers? Let’s take a look. 

Aiyuk was arguably the story of this offseason. From cryptic comments the week after the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, to him possessing Washington Commanders practice film and then demanding a trade, to multiple reports indicating he was headed to the Pittsburgh Steelers — all culminating with him signing a four-year, $120 million extension with the 49ers.

Aiyuk returned to the fold for game week and had a full week of practice prior to the Monday night showdown against the Jets, but he looked rusty. Aiyuk caught two of five targets for 28 yards and was San Francisco’s fifth-leading receiver. Jauan Jennings led all 49ers with 64 receiving yards on five receptions.

Aiyuk’s first target came on a second-and-5 late in the first quarter, where he failed to reel in a slant pass from Brock Purdy thanks to great defense from Sauce Gardner. Right before halftime, Aiyuk dropped a touchdown in the end zone, which drew the ire of Peyton Manning. 

Williams was another 49er that beat the regular-season buzzer, as he signed a three-year deal worth $82.66 million less than a week before Week 1. He spent all of training camp on his own. Despite his lengthy absence, Williams did not allow a single pressure vs. the Jets on 33 pass-blocking snaps, per Next Gen Stats. However, he did have to go to the locker room to receive an IV in the fourth quarter. Williams played 97% of offensive snaps.

Lamb showed no rust in his 2024 debut. The Cowboys’ WR1 opted for a legitimate hold out this offseason, where he spent most of camp training by himself before signing a four-year, $136 million extension on Aug. 26. In Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, Lamb was Dallas’ leading receiver, having caught five of 10 targets for 61 yards, and rushed three times for 25 yards. 

On the Cowboys’ six-play, 70-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter, Lamb picked up 44 yards on two touches before Dak Prescott found Brandin Cooks in the end zone for a 21-yard score. Lamb looked just as fast and elusive as he always has. 

TruMedia did charge Lamb with a third-down drop in the fourth quarter. His production dropped off in the second half, as Lamb caught four of his five passes in the first quarter, but the Cowboys were whooping the Browns so bad it didn’t really matter. 

“Not really,” Lamb told CBS Sports when asked if he felt rusty in Week 1. “I will be honest, not really at the beginning of that game but as the game progressed, that’s when I really had to focus on my techniques and fundamentals of the game.”

Chase is the one player on this list who did not receive an extension. He held in for most of training camp, with his head coach Zac Taylor trying to divert attention away from the situation. Chase did return to the practice field for game week, and then caught all six of his targets for a game-leading 62 yards in the upset loss to the New England Patriots. 

You can’t say Chase specifically performed poorly given how the Bengals looked as a whole. Plus, he revealed that he dealt with food poisoning the day before the game.