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As the NFL and NFLPA continue to hash out issues ahead of training camp, they’re working toward an agreement that would allow players to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season amid concerns over COVID-19. This system would allow players to opt-out of the 2020 season for a variety of reasons ranging from underlying health conditions to keeping family safe from potential virus exposure.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the system would work so that players would sit out in 2020 and pick up their contract where they left off when they return in 2021. That means they wouldn’t accrue a season to be eligible toward free agency. It would be as if 2020 simply didn’t happen for them from a contractual standpoint. No agreement has been reached yet, but with other leagues like the NBA and MLB allowing their players to opt-out in a similar fashion, this is something that is expected to get done.
Over the weekend, Dodgers pitcher David Price and Braves pitcher Felix Hernandez both opted out of the MLB’s impending 60-game season. In an earlier article, we wrote about Lakers guard Avery Bradley, who opted out of the NBA season because his son has a history of respiratory illness. A number of Kansas City Chiefs players have young children at home, so that’s certainly something to watch as more information about a potential opt-out program comes to light. Players from Kansas City like Harrison Butker, Frank Clark, Tyreek Hill, Chris Jones, Anthony Sherman, Daniel Sorensen and Khalen Saunders are just a few that come to mind.
It might be tough for fans to see one of their favorite players sit the season out, but it’s hard to blame players for not wanting to risk their own health or the health of their family members.
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