Kansas City Chiefs players have until Thursday to opt out of NFL season

Chiefs players have just two days until they must decide to opt out.

As of press time, the Kansas City Chiefs have another 48 hours or so to decide whether or not they are going to officially opt out of the 2020 season due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, the NFL set a new deadline for Thursday, August 6, per NFL reporter Adam Schefter.

Two members of the Chiefs have already decided to sit out the upcoming season. Starting right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was the league’s first player to decide to opt out. In his statement posted on Twitter, the Canadian, who is also a medical doctor, said, “If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients.”

Running back Damien Williams was the second Chiefs player to opt out. In his explanation, he detailed the tragic news of a stage-four cancer diagnosis for his mother as the reason to sit out the year, instead choosing to be by her side in the coming months.

For a player to opt out, it means that they are able to sit out the season without penalty. Each player is allowed a $150,000 advance on his present salary and the contract will then freeze until the following year. The player can still collect roster bonuses for the given year, but those won’t be re-applied in 2021. Instead, the player will be given his base salary minus the advance next year.

The challenge for any such player, however, is two-fold. Each team is going to have to find a new starter for that role in the absence of that player. In addition, the player must remain in shape away from the game for a year–a difficult feat for anyone. That said, a player’s health and safety is a foremost consideration and Thursday’s deadline could bring news of more players opting out on the Chiefs and around the league.