The dawn of NFL training camp means that contract negotiations are bound to take center stage in the news cycle.
This year, there are several situations worth monitoring with varying levels of panic involved. From Saquon Barkley to Quinnen Williams, there are numerous stars whose contract negotiations are far from settled.
Training camp often ends up being a stage and catalyst to get long-term deals done. It's an opportunity for players to sit out and make their absence felt in a way that won't have a major impact once the season actually gets started.
Managing the salary cap and paying out major contracts to those who have earned them isn't always easy, especially for teams that are fortunate enough to have multiple players who deserve top-of-the-market deals.
The best teams do a good job of projecting where the contract disputes will be and come up with a plan.
So, now's a good time to break out the crystal ball and look ahead to see where the contract disputes around the league might be next season.
WR Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have enjoyed the benefit of having one of the most explosive passing attacks in the league at a discounted price over the last few seasons.
Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins represent one of the best quarterback-receiver trios in the league, and they cost under $20 million combined against the cap last season.
The rent is coming due soon, though.
Over the next three years, the Bengals are going to have to pay Burrow, Chase and Higgins lucrative deals. Using Spotrac's current market value projections, the trio will combine for $99.4 million in annual average value.
The bad news for Cincinnati is that Spotrac's $25.5 million projection for wide receiver Chase is likely to be outdated by the time it gets to the negotiation table.
Still, both sides could get antsy to get a new deal done. Justin Jefferson is likely to reset the market and could become the league's highest-paid non-quarterback.
That's going to be a tough hurdle for Cincinnati to overcome, whenever those negotiations may happen. Chase has already established himself as one of the top receivers in the league with 2,501 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns in his first two seasons.
Chase and Higgins have made life easy for the Bengals offense.
That advantage is about to get a lot more expensive.