Teams around the NFL have put an emphasis on establishing safety protocols for players ahead of the 2020 NFL season. This is an important NFLPA matter. Regardless, there is still plenty of concern about the risks involved with playing during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Players are still weighing their options on whether or not to take part in the 2020 campaign while the number of confirmed, positive cases continues to spike throughout the nation. According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the NFLPA is working on a deal with the league that would allow players to opt out with any financial repercussions to their contract:

“The league and the NFLPA are discussing an opt-out program for players who are not comfortable playing this upcoming season because of the pandemic, because of underlying symptoms, because of their families. And the hope is that they come to an agreement that the player can opt out and come back in 2021 and pick up his contract where he left off. They call that tolling.”

Although there are still no guidelines that have been mentioned for the NFL deal, the report indicates that the NFLPA is optimistic players will be given a choice without any impact on their contract status.

The NFL may very well have to follow the same model as the NBA after several notable players opted out of finishing the 2019-20 season . While they would not be fined for staying at home, teams could withhold game checks for those without a viable, medical reason that must be cleared by the separate panel of doctors they hired to help oversee the process.

With NFL training camp beginning at the end of the month, both sides will need to come to an agreement soon in order to give players ample time to make a choice in this unprecedented situation.

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