Patrick Mahomes may have a lot more money for the 2020 season, when he and the Kansas City Chiefs look to defend their Super Bowl title. But the MVP quarterback will be without at least two other offensive starters in the 2019 KC title race. Days after right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif became the first NFL player to publicly retire from the season to coming due to concerns about COVID-19, running back Damien Williams has also said he will not be participating in the 2020 campaign, as the Chiefs have announced. Wednesday.
“As an organization, we certainly understand and respect Damien’s choice, knowing that it was made in the best interests of his family,” CEO Brett Veach said in a statement. “He means a lot to our football team as a player and as a person, and he will be missed this season.”
Williams himself does not appear to fall under the NFL’s “high risk” designation as an opt-out. On Thursday, however, he explained why he would skip the season: His mother was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. (The CDC lists cancer as an increased risk factor for serious COVID-19 disease.) Williams also a woman and a young girl at home.
“It was tough,” the RB told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “My mom is my rock, my everything… My mom, she was just like, ‘Whatever decision (you make) I’m behind you’… Football is my life, especially coming out of ‘a championship and wanting to do a rehearsal – which, you know, I know they’re going to handle that. But at the end of the day, it was a personal thing. “
Under the revised NFL collective agreement, players can decide to skip the 2020 season even if they do not meet the criteria to be considered at risk of serious illness from COVID-19; they just get a $ 150,000 advance on their contract, which costs a season, instead of a stipend of $ 350,000.
Williams never started a full season, appearing in six games, a career high as a No.1 RB for Kansas City in 2019, but he just finished an MVP-caliber performance in Super Bowl LIV, in which he led the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers with 104 rushing yards. Originally an undrafted addition from the Miami Dolphins, the 28-year-old veteran established himself as Coach Andy Reid’s top fullback on the stretch in 2019, totaling 290 yards and six touchdowns during the season. of Kansas City’s three playoff games.
Williams ‘absence has big implications for the Chiefs’ offense, not to mention fantasy football. Without Williams on the RB depth chart, first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire is likely to see his action increase, possibly in the first round of the draft. Dave Richard of CBS Sports, in fact, believes Edwards-Helaire compares favorably to former frontman Kareem Hunt and could be considered one of PPR’s top 10 targets, making him a potential lockdown for the first round of most fantasy projects.
