NEWSLETTER
Players from the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos became the first to announce they were opting out of participating in voluntary offseason workouts at team facilities this offseason. Their statements, which were shared via the NFLPA, were similar in tone and nature.
Check them out:
A statement on behalf of the Denver Broncos players: pic.twitter.com/b7ZQZ1Z7PY
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) April 13, 2021
A statement on behalf of the Seattle Seahawks players: pic.twitter.com/4Bwl4KkEOI
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) April 13, 2021
And then there’s this from NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and President J.C. Tretter:
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and president JC Tretter just sent this letter to all players, reiterating the union’s recommendation that players should not attend voluntary workouts amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/1VotazhRyr
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 13, 2021
This feels like the start of … something. For example, this feels as a bit of a pushback after the NFL pushed through a 17th game for the 2021 season one year after ramming a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, leveraging a global pandemic just as the previous CBA was on the brink of expiring in 2021. But I don’t think that’s the only thing in play here. Because this feels like a movement with greater motives.
At minimum, it’s a movement that could get the ball rolling toward another offseason of virtual meetings. Last year, virtual meetings were the move when the COVID-19 pandemic kept players out of team facilities. And while there are vaccines are available, the pandemic isn’t just going away. And because there are still considerable risks and a certain amount of uncertainty, I can understand where players are coming from in wanting to proceed with caution.
The Bears can begin offseason workouts as early as April 19. And while some players could step out and show up for in-person workouts, the NFLPA has spoken its piece and we’ve seen players from two organizations declare their intent to opt out. So this could be just the beginning of something we’ll need to keep tabs on as the offseason rolls on.
