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Detroit Lions nose tackle John Atkins has opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, but how will that impact the team’s salary cap now and in the future?
Let’s take a look at what happens when a player opts out, the categories they fall in, as well as how that impacts the salary cap in 2020 and 2021.
When a player opts out of the 2020 season they fall into one of two categories: 1) High-risk or 2) Voluntary.
If a player falls into the high-risk category — the NFL breaks down the parameters to qualify here — a player is given an accrued season credit which will put them closer to free agency and is eligible for a stipend of $350,000. The player’s contract is tolled (basically delayed one year) and all the provisions for that contract will be applied to the following season as well.
If a player falls into the voluntary opt-out category, they do not receive an accrued season and are potentially eligible — undrafted free agents don’t qualify — for a $150,000 advance on their contract, which will be tolled in the same manner as stated above.
At this time it is not clear which category Atkins falls into as he is listed by the NFL as an unspecified opt-out, meaning it will likely be determined at a later time.
The rules surrounding how this impact the cap are a little muddied but salary cap expert Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com gave his best interpretation of how the COVID rules impact the salary cap, suggesting a player’s base salary would revert to $0, while bonuses carry over to varying degrees.
Atkins’ contract with the Lions was a one-year deal with a base salary of $675,000 with no designated bonuses and therefore his contract should revert to $0 on the Lions salary cap.
However, because Atkins base salary was below the Top-51 contracts on the roster, the Lions don’t actually gain/lose any cap space in 2020 and currently remain with approximately $23 million in cap space.
Atkins’ contract will now be tolled to 2021, where he will enter the next season with a one-year deal, a base of $675,000, and no bonuses.
Because we don’t know which opt-out category Atkins falls into, we don’t know if he will gain an accrued season towards free agency. But with only one accrued year under his belt, Atkins would remain an Exclusive Right Free Agent (ERFA) heading into 2022 in either scenario.
Contractually, Atkins 2020 season is over, but he will remain with the Lions organization next season — potentially beyond as well — and this decision doesn’t impact the salary cap.
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