A total of 66 NFL players have chosen to skip the 2020 NFL season due to the coronavirus pandemic, and nearly half of them are linemen.
Twenty offensive linemen and 11 defensive linemen chose to leave their teams before the deadline set for Thursday. Players who opted out for medical reasons will receive compensation of US $ 350,000, while those who opted out voluntarily will have to settle for $ 150,000 – this amount is sort of an advance on salary. that they will receive during the next campaigns.
No team has lost as many players as the New England Patriots heading into the 2020 season, which gets underway on September 10 with a duel between the Houston Texans and defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Patriots, who have already lost several star players in the free agent market – including, of course, Tom Brady, who joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – have eight starts: running back Brandon Bolden, tackle Marcus Cannon, safety back Patrick Chung, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, tight end Matt LaCosse, wide end Marqise Lee, tackle Najee Toran and center-back Dan Vitale. Hightower, Cannon and Chung have been mainstays of the organization in recent seasons.
Only three teams were spared from the starts: the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Here is an overview of the other players who have decided to skip the next season, by position:
Eleven wide wingers, eight linebackers, six cornerbacks, four running backs, three tight ends and three safety backs. No quarterback, or precision or punt kicker chose this option.
