ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters will be fined by the Buffalo Bills for missing the start of the team's three-day mandatory minicamp Wednesday, and teammates said his absence might be due to a contract dispute.
"It's a decision he's made and he'll be fined," coach Dick Jauron said.
Jauron declined to say whether he or anyone in the Bills' front office had spoken with Peters, who also was the only Bills player to miss all 13 of the team's voluntary sessions over the past month.
Peters' agent, Vincent Taylor, declined to comment on his client's status during a brief interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. Taylor was not immediately available Wednesday.
According to the NFL Players Association, the most Peters can be fined is $8,638 for missing one or all three mandatory sessions.
Peters and the Bills have not commented on the reason he has been absent, but several teammates said Peters is unhappy with his contract.
He has three years left on his current deal and is scheduled to make a base salary of $3.25 million this season, which is considered low for someone playing such a prominent position. His deal ranks third among Bills offensive linemen, behind left guard Derrick Dockery and right tackle Langston Walker, both acquired in free agency last year.
Referring to Peters' contract, Walker said: "I wish he was here, but he has to do what he has to do. I can't say whether or not what he's doing is right or wrong, that's not for me to decide. We're here. Dockery and myself, and the rest of the offensive line, we're working."
First-year offensive coordinator Turk Schonert is so concerned that he'll consider moving Walker to the left side if Peters fails to show up for the start of training camp next month.
"We've got to be prepared like he's not going to be here, and that's the way we're going to operate in training camp," Schonert said. "Hopefully, we'll see him soon, sooner rather than later, but we've got to plan like he's not here, because he's not."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
