Eddie Goldman was the first Chicago Bears player to opt out of playing in 2020. A few days later he was joined by safety Jordan Lucas. Will anybody else join them. Well, fans are fixing to find out fast. After an extended period of negotiations, the NFL and NFLPA finally put the finishing touches on the adjustment to the CBA involving COVID-19 measure. One of the most important?
The final cutoff date for when players are allowed to opt out of playing in 2020.
According to Adam Schefter and others, the deadline will be Thursday, August 6th at 3 pm CST. Anybody who fails to declare their intent before that time will be considered in breach of their contracts and not get paid any money as a result. Opting out pushes their current salary for this year into 2021 with a $150,000 advance to hold them over until then.
Will any other Chicago Bears take the exit strategy?
That is difficult to know. The team has put forth extensive measures to keep Halas Hall as safe and contained as possible. GM Ryan Pace said they went above and beyond the measures suggested by the league. Goldman choosing to go was more about his higher risk due to prior health issues than anything else. Lucas is more of an unknown. That said, given he already has a Super Bowl ring and got paid decent money before arriving in Chicago? One can understand if he feels the risk isn’t worth it.
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Nick Foles and Anthony Miller were tagged as two possibilities because both had newborn babies recently. However, all signs point to them playing this year. Nobody else looks like a surefire risk. Still, with the deadline now fixed and coming closer? It’ll be easy for minds to change fast.