Three-time Pro-Bowl guard, Larry Warford, who has received multiple offers, is opting out of the 2020 season, per source. Warford is looking to start a family and will continue to train and revisit playing in 2021.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 28, 2020
While he hadn’t yet chosen a new team, former New Orleans Saints guard Larry Warford has chosen to opt out of the 2020 season and will wait for 2021 free agency. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Warford’s decision.
Warford was released after the 2020 NFL Draft, not long after the Saints used their first round pick on Michigan center Cesar Ruiz. That put either Ruiz or incumbent center Erik McCoy in competition with Warford to start at right guard, but the Saints chose to release the three-time Pro Bowl alternate after receiving little interest in a trade.
However, he isn’t lacking for options now. Schefter added that Warford received multiple offers this summer as a free agent, but the option to pass on a season marred by the COVID-19 pandemic gave him an opportunity to spend more time with his family.
An interesting wrinkle is that Warford technically doesn’t have to opt out by filing a notice with any NFL teams; he simply doesn’t have to return their calls. Because there’s nothing in the NFL’s agreement with the NFL Players Association about free agents, he could hypothetically opt back in if the right situation presents itself. But that loophole might be closed as the NFL and NFLPA continue to hammer out the details in their negotiations.
Warford is the second player with ties to the Saints to opt out of the 2020 season, though he’s doing so voluntarily. Backup tight end Cole Wick was a long shot to make the team after returning from the 2019 practice squad, but he’s at an elevated health risk due to asthma, and will hope to return for another shot in 2021.
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