66 players opt out of season due to virus
A total of 66 players have opted out of the 2020 NFL season because of the coronavirus pandemic, nearly half of them linemen.
Twenty offensive linemen and 11 on defense opted out before Thursday’s deadline. Players with a medical opt out will receive a $350,000 stipend. Those voluntarily opting out receive $150,000 as an advance against future salaries.
No team has come close to New England in losing players for the coming season, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 10 with Houston at Super Bowl champion Kansas City. The Patriots, already minus several stars who left in free agency — including, of course, Tom Brady to Tampa Bay — had eight optouts. Cleveland was next with five.
Only three teams had no one opting out: the Steelers, Falcons and Chargers.
“Those are not easy decisions to make as a player, especially when you love the game,“said Denver safety Justin Simmons, who will play this season. “But family will always come first. And I’ve had a lot of difficult conversations with my wife and, yeah, it’s not ever going to be easy. Just like for the rest of America, it’s not easy on anyone right now.”
The rest of the breakdown by positions: 11 wide receivers; eight linebackers, six cornerbacks, four running backs, three tights ends and three safeties. There were no quarterbacks, kickers or punters opting out. Lonely in Vegas: After years of playing in a dilapidated stadium in Oakland with a rundown team facility, the Raiders were looking forward to showing off their fancy new digs in Las Vegas this season.
Those plans have been altered by the COVID19 pandemic.
The Raiders will play their first season at $2 billion Allegiant Stadium near the Las Vegas Strip without any fans and have been unable to fully utilize the new practice facility they built in nearby Henderson.
“I mean disappointing for all of sports, honestly,” head coach Jon Gruden said. “Certainly, you see that stadium and you want to go in there and you want to cut it loose with your new fan base and it is disappointing.”
Owner Mark Davis told seasonticket holders this week about the decision not to allow fans this season after consulting with local health officials. Fantasy pick: Christian McCaffrey has left no doubt as to who he thinks should be the No. 1 pick in this year’s fantasy football drafts. “I’d take myself, yeah,” the Panthers’ AllPro running back out of Stanford said. “I would always take myself in fantasy.”
McCaffrey became only the third player in NFL history to post at least 1,000 rushing and receiving last season, rushing for 1,387 yards and hauling in 116 catches for 1,005 yards. He scored 19 touchdowns. Bills sign guard: Buffalo signed offensive guard Brian Winters five days after the seventhyear player was released by the New York Jets.