For the past couple of weeks, a handful of players have been opting out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. But it appears no members of the Chargers will be sitting out this upcoming year.
Los Angeles is one of three teams in the NFL to not have any players opt out of the 2020 season, as Thursday’s 1:00 p.m. PT deadline for NFL players to opt-out of the 2020 season has passed.
Players will have the opportunity to opt out after the deadline if “a close family member gets seriously sick with COVID or if they themselves are newly diagnosed with a high-risk condition,” per the NFLPA.
Two types of opt-out plans are available. Players who qualify as having a high-risk condition will receive a $350,000 stipend that does not count as a salary advance, their contracts will toll, and they will earn an accrued season toward free agency.
Players who don’t qualify as high risk can choose the voluntary opt-out option, which includes a $150,000 salary advance for the 2021 season and a tolling of contracts but no credit of an accrued season.