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Chiefs news: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif opts out of 2020 season due to COVID-19

By Matt Conner

KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 19: Offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif #76 of the Kansas City Chiefs gets set on the line before a play in the second half against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - JANUARY 19: Offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif #76 of the Kansas City Chiefs gets set on the line before a play in the second half against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /
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Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has offically opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19.

Kansas City Chiefs starting right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has officially opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. He becomes the first player in the National Football League to officially do so.

Duvernay-Tardif announced his decision on Twitter with a lengthy statement detailing his reasons. As he said, opting out was “one of the most difficult decisions” he’d ever had to make.

In making his decision to sit out the upcoming season, Duvernay-Tardif cited his experience as a medical doctor, a job he practices in the NFL offseason, as something that informed his decision. He wrote, “If I am take risks, I will do it caring for patients.” At the same time, LDT did speak confidently about the measures being taken by the Chiefs and their “strong plan” to offer players a safe environment. Still he admits that “risks will remain”.

Earlier this offseason, the Chiefs reached an agreement to restructure Duvernay-Tardif’s contract. The lineman had previously signed a five-year, $42 million-plus contract in 2017 that cemented him as one of the team’s highest-paid players under former general manager John Dorsey. The restructured deal lowered this year’s cap space to $5.5 million and shifted more money into the future (next two seasons).

Duvernay-Tardif was limited to only five games due to a broken leg in 2018 and missed a couple games in 2019 with an ankle injury suffered against the Green Bay Packers.

The Chiefs struck gold in the 2014 NFL Draft when they selected the Canadian in the sixth round. As a prospect out of McGill in Montreal, Duvernay-Tardif was a developmental project, but he took the NFL immediately with his obvious blend of size and athleticism to go with a high intelligence and work ethic. It’s not common for a sixth round pick to find such a lucrative second contract.

Assuming he returns for the 2021 season, Duvernay-Tardif will be 30-years-old next season.

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