The recent Dexter Lawrence trade from the Giants to the Bengals illustrates the increasing power of NFL players, with Lawrence, a “middle stone” player for the New York defense, asking to be traded within two weeks. This is a change from the days when teams ignored the player's wishes and instead dug in. The team can move on whenever it wishes, but an unhappy player can pose a problem for the team. Former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's catchphrase, "we want volunteers, not hostages," suggests this could potentially be problematic. Teams that embrace this message are more likely to maintain a locker room full of willing participants. The challenge becomes to ensure that players want to stay, even after the team has decided it's best to stick around.