So far, the Buffalo Bills have had two players opt out of playing in the 2020 regular season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Those guys are defensive tackle Star Lotulelei and cornerback EJ Gaines.
While that pair have made up their minds, guys who still haven’t now have a deadline. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Bills players and the rest on their peers across the NFL have until Thursday at 4 p.m. to opt out of next season.
So far a total of 44 players in the league have opted out of playing in 2020. If a player decides to do so, such as Lotuleli and Gaines, their contract simply pushes back a year. Of those 44, the most have come from one AFC East team, the Patriots. New England has had eight players opt out so far, including safety Patrick Chung, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, wide receiver Marquise Lee and offensive lineman Marcus Cannon. All four are players who could have made significant impacts on the Pats’ upcoming season.
Along with Lotulelei and Gaines’ decision, the Bills have also had a total of five players added to the Reserve/ COVID-19 list. This designation is for players who have had either positive tests for coronavirus or have come into contact with someone who has. After multiple negative tests for COVID-19 and a period of quarantine, players are eventually allowed to return to team faculties for training camp. Most camps began last week with simple testing measures for the virus.
The five players on the Bills put on the Reserve/ COVID-19 list are CB Ike Brown, CB Siran Neal, CB Dane Jackson, DT Vincent Taylor and WR Duke Williams.
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