The Atlanta Falcons were fortunate enough to be one of three NFL teams without a single player opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 outbreak when Thursday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline passed.
The Falcons join the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers as the only franchises to get 100 percent of their players to commit to playing this year.
There were 66 total player opt-outs, and some teams had more than a handful.
The deadline to opt-out of the NFL season is 1 p.m. (PT). Entering today, 60 players have opted out around the league. Teams with more than two opt-outs are:
Patriots-8
Browns-4
Colts-3
Cowboys-3
Giants-3
Lions-3
Raiders-3— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) August 6, 2020
The Patriots had eight, the Browns had four and the Cowboys, Colts, Giants, Lions, and Raiders each had three players opt out.
Falcons head coach Dan Quinn has always been supportive of his players, whether they are struggling or not. It’s clear the team feels the same way about Quinn, especially after standing by him through last year’s early-season struggles.
The Falcons still have two players — FB Keith Smith and CB Jamal Carter — remaining on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list.
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