No voluntary workouts costs three players their bonuses
Three members of the Detroit Lions roster will not receive workout bonuses this week.
Detroit, along with several other NFL teams, has decided to skip the voluntary workouts that were set to begin April 19.
“A player with a workout bonus in his NFL Player Contract must satisfy the terms of his individual NFL Player Contract, including the ‘reasonable workout requirements’ as established by his club in order to be eligible for such bonus,” an NFL memo read.
“Virtual workouts are neither required nor prohibited, and clubs have discretion whether to treat virtual workouts as satisfying the requirements of the Player Contract.”
The league intended to entice players to work out at team facilities by offering injury protections if a player is injured while working out at a team facility.
The decision to miss workouts will reportedly cost linebacker Jamie Collins $200,000. Linebacker Jahlani Tavai loses out on $50,000 and Will Harris will miss the $30,000 bonus.
“Injuries sustained by a player while working out at a club facility, or while engaged in a virtual workout authorized by club staff, will be considered footballrelated injuries, with players entitled to the protection related to a football injury,” a league memo read. “Injuries sustained while working out away from the club facility, without authorization by club staff, will be considered a non-football injury for which a club will not be responsible for the player’s compensation or other benefits.”
The league’s 2021 offseason program will be nine weeks long, with all portions of it voluntary except for one mandatory minicamp. The NFLPA did not agree to the new plan, but the league holds the right to implement rules as permitted under its collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union.