NFL Players Opting Out Due to COVID-19
When it comes to the 2020 NFL season, the COVID-19 global pandemic has eliminated the preseason and uncertainty remains in terms of whether or not the NFL will be able to play a full 256-game NFL regular season.
As the NFL won't play in a bubble like the NBA or NHL, we've seen how a (mostly) non-contact sport like MLB can be impacted by coronavirus outbreaks on a team as games and series have been canceled.
One certainty is that 67 players have opted out of the 2020 NFL season by the August 6th deadline.
Three teams -- Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers -- have had no players opt out of the 2020 NFL season. The other 29 NFL franchises have all had at least one player opt out.
No team had more players opt out than the New England Patriots (eight). The Cleveland Browns (five) and New York Giants (four) were the only other teams with more than three players opting out.
The table below (sorted by NFL franchise) includes the full list of players that have opted out of the 2020 NFL season.
| Player | Pos. | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Marcus Gilbert | OT | Arizona Cardinals |
| Andre Smith | OL | Baltimore Ravens |
| De'Anthony Thomas | KR | Baltimore Ravens |
| E.J. Gaines | CB | Buffalo Bills |
| Star Lotulelei | DT | Buffalo Bills |
| Christian Miller | LB | Carolina Panthers |
| Jordan Mack | LB | Carolina Panthers |
| Eddie Goldman | DT | Chicago Bears |
| Jordan Lucas | S | Chicago Bears |
| Isaiah Prince | OT | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Josh Tupou | DT | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Andrew Billings | DT | Cleveland Browns |
| Colby Gossett | G | Cleveland Browns |
| Drake Dorbeck | OT | Cleveland Browns |
| Drew Forbes | G | Cleveland Browns |
| Malcolm Pridgeon | G | Cleveland Browns |
| Jamize Olawale | FB | Dallas Cowboys |
| Maurice Candy | CB | Dallas Cowboys |
| Stephen Guidry | WR | Dallas Cowboys |
| Ja'Wuan James | OT | Denver Broncos |
| Kyle Peko | DT | Denver Broncos |
| Geronimo Allison | WR | Detroit Lions |
| John Atkins | DT | Detroit Lions |
| Russell Bodine | C | Detroit Lions |
| Devin Funchess | WR | Green Bay Packers |
| Eddie Vanderdoes | DT | Houston Texans |
| Marvell Tell | DB | Indianapolis Colts |
| Rolan Milligan | DB | Indianapolis Colts |
| Skai Moore | LB | Indianapolis Colts |
| Al Woods | DT | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Lerentee McCray | DE/LB | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Rashaan Melvin | CB | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Damien Williams | RB | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Laurent Duvernay-Tardif | OL | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Lucas Niang | OT | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Chandler Brewer | OT | Los Angeles Rams |
| D.J. Killings | DB | Las Vegas Raiders |
| Jeremiah Valoaga | DE/LB | Las Vegas Raiders |
| Ukeme Eligwe | LB | Las Vegas Raiders |
| Albert Wilson | WR | Miami Dolphins |
| Allen Hurns | WR | Miami Dolphins |
| Michael Pierce | DT | Minnesota Vikings |
| Brandon Bolden | TB | New England Patriots |
| Danny Vitale | FB | New England Patriots |
| Dont'a Hightower | LB | New England Patriots |
| Marcus Cannon | OL | New England Patriots |
| Marqise Lee | WR | New England Patriots |
| Matt LaCosse | TE | New England Patriots |
| Najee Toran | G | New England Patriots |
| Patrick Chung | S | New England Patriots |
| Cole Wick | TE | New Orleans Saints |
| Jason Vander Laan | TE | New Orleans Saints |
| Da'Mari Scott | WR | New York Giants |
| Josh Doctson | WR | New York Giants |
| Nate Solder | OT | New York Giants |
| Sam Beal | CB | New York Giants |
| C.J. Mosley | LB | New York Jets |
| Leo Koloamatangi | OL | New York Jets |
| Marquise Goodwin | WR | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Chance Warmack | OL | Seattle Seahawks |
| Jake Brendel | C | San Francisco 49ers |
| Shon Coleman | OT | San Francisco 49ers |
| Travis Benjamin | WR | San Francisco 49ers |
| Brad Seaton | OT | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Anthony McKinney | OL | Tennessee Titans |
| Caleb Brantley | DL | Washington |
| Josh Harvey-Clemons | LB | Washington |
The NFL has created a three-game IR for players that test positive for COVID-19 during the season. We will track those cases separately.
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