List of NFL players opting out of 2020 season due to COVID-19

Players are opting out of playing in the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19.

The NFL is putting plans into place for how to embark on as normal of a regular season as possible in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league has canceled preseason games, has protocols in place for training camps and is continuing to put more information together for the 2020 season.

Yet, in such uncertain times both in football and in the United States at large, there were always going to be NFL players who made the tough decision to opt out of playing this year. Whether for pre-existing health conditions — personal or with their family — or just general concern, it’s a decision that the league, teams and fans have to respect.

So as the 2020 NFL season takes shape, we’re starting to see more players decide to opt out of playing this year. Subsequently, it’s a good idea to take note of the guys who are making that decision.

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Tracking the NFL players who won’t play in 2020 amid COVID-19 concerns.

Below is a list of the players who won’t play in the 2020 NFL season due to varying reasons stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. This will be a running tracker of all the players who choose to opt out.

• Eagles WR Marquise Goodwin (July 28) – A trade acquisition for Philadelphia this offseason, an already thin-ish receiving corps for the Eagles now gets even thinner with the speedster opting out.
• Vikings DT Michael Pierce (July 28) – Minnesota signed Pierce to a nice contract this offseason but the veteran defensive lineman will instead sit out the year due to lingering health concerns.
• Patriots S Patrick Chung (July 28) – The sixth Patriot to opt out, Chung was going to be a starter at safety and New England’s roster is now getting thinner.
• Bills DT Star Lotulelei (July 28) – This is a big opt out as Lotulelei figured to be a key cog in the Bills defensive line for the 2020 season.
• Bears DT Eddie Goldman (July 28) – Citing health concerns with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Goldman is one of the best players yet to declare he’s opting out for this season.
• Texans DT Eddie Vanderdoes (July 28) – Vanderdoes, a youngster out of UCLA, is the first player on Houston’s roster to opt out for the 2020 season.
• Ravens OT Andre Smith (July 28) – The veteran offensive tackle was slated to provide depth up front for Baltimore this season but has elected instead to sit out the 2020 campaign.
• Patriots RB Brandon Bolden (July 28) – One of Bill Belichick’s favorites makes the fifth player from New England who has opted not to play this season with his reported decision on Tuesday.
• Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower (July 28) – Reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Pats’ star linebacker will not be playing in 2020 due to health concerns as he and his family welcomed a baby on July 16.
• Ravens WR De’Anthony Thomas (July 27) – Thomas’ decision to not play this year seems to be over personal concerns but the team’s primary returner will not be in Baltimore this year.
• Seahawks OG Chance Warmack (July 27) – A former first-rounder, Warmack sat out last season to get healthy but made this decision, as reported, due to several people close to him having contracted COVID-19.
• Cowboys CB Maurice Canady (July 27) – Canady was expected to be on the roster bubble in 2020 with Dallas but tweeted out his decision, citing to keep his family safe as his first priority.
• Washington Football Team DT Caleb Brantley (July 27) – After being on IR for 15 games last year, the former sixth-round pick won’t suit up in the nation’s capital.
• Patriots OL Najee Toran (July 27) – Toran was on the New England practice squad last year but was set to vie for a roster spot in the 2020 season.
• Patriots FB Dan Vitale (July 27) – A newcomer who was expected to play an important role in the Pats offense, the veteran fullback will instead not be on the field for the 2020 NFL season.
• Patriots OT Marcus Cannon (July 27) – Cannon, a cancer survivor, made the decision to opt out with his placement in a high-risk category for the virus.
• Chiefs OG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (July 24) – The first player to make the public decision to opt out of the 2020 season, Duvernay-Tardif — who has his M.D. — will stay in Canada to help fight the virus on the frontlines rather than play.

With five players already having decided not to play, the Patriots are the only team with multiple players electing not to play in the 2020 NFL season. Having said that, as training camp is set to begin, we will surely see more players with concerns about COVID-19 make similar decisions.