A total of 69 players have opted out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly half of them linemen.
Twenty-one offensive linemen and 11 on defense opted out before Thursday’s deadline. Players with a medical opt out will receive a $350,000 stipend, whole those voluntarily opting out receive $150,000 as an advance against future salaries.
No team has come close to New England in losing players for the upcoming season. The Patriots saw eight opt outs. Cleveland was next with five players skipping the season.
Only three teams had no one opting out: the Steelers, Falcons and Chargers.
Here are notable players we know have opted out:
Shon Coleman, OT, San Francisco 49ers
Coleman figured to contend as the 49ers’ top backup behind starting offensive tackles Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchey. The 49ers’ next-best options include Justin Skule, Daniel Brunskill and rookie Colton McKivitz.
Acquired in a 2018 trade from the Cleveland Browns, Coleman did not suit up any game that season, then he sustained a lower-leg injury in last year’s exhibition opener to cast him onto season-ending injured reserve. Coleman re-signed in March on a one-year, $962,000 deal.
Coleman overcame acute lymphoblastic leukemia as an 18-year-old, and thus he classifies as a high-risk opt out eligible for a $350,000 stipend.
Travis Benjamin, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Benjamin opted out of the 2020 NFL season, announcing his decision Tuesday night on Twitter. Benjamin is the first member of the 49ers to opt out for the season and his announcement comes one day after general manager John Lynch said he hadn’t yet had a conversation with a player who had planned to opt out.
Benjamin, 30, was expected to compete for a roster spot at wide receiver and, likely, as a returner in what would have been his first season with the 49ers.
Geronimo Allison, WR, Detroit Lions
After signing a one-year deal with the Lions in the offseason, Allison chose to opt out, citing the birth of his infant daughter and his “intense desire to protect the health and well-being of my family” in an Instagram post.
Sam Beal, CB, New York Giants
Beal’s choice means the Giants’ depth at corner takes a hit. The 2018 supplemental draft pick was expected to compete for a starting spot, but without him the Giants may need to look for a veteran option.
Marcus Gilbert, OT, Arizona Cardinals
Gilbert announced his decision on Twitter, citing his position as a high-risk player with high-risk family members. He didn’t specify what condition makes him high-risk. Gilbert was expected to start at right tackle for the Cardinals.
Josh Doctson, WR, New York Jets
Doctson, a first-round pick in 2016, signed with the Jets in January. He has 81 catches and eight touchdowns in his career.
Malcolm Pridgeon, G, Cleveland Browns
Pridgeon is the third guard in Cleveland to opt out, after Colby Gossett and Drew Forbes. He spent the final 15 weeks of last season on the Browns’ practice squad.
Rashaan Melvin, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Melvin, who signed a one-year contract with the Jaguars worth $1.75 million in March, was expected to compete with third-year player Tre Herndon to start opposite rookie first-round pick CJ Henderson.
Lucas Niang, OT, Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs lost a member of their 2020 draft class after Niang told the team he would opt out of the 2020 season. The third-round pick from TCU is an offensive lineman.
He figured in the playing picture at guard as a rookie but eventually could be moved to tackle. The Chiefs have several candidates to start at guard, including veteran free agent additions Kelechi Osemele and Mike Remmers and Andrew Wylie, a part-time starter last season.
Russell Bodine, C, Detroit Lions
The Lions had their third player opt out of the 2020 season as veteran offensive lineman Bodine has decided to not play this season. The 28-year-old signed with the Lions in the offseason after being out of the league last year after being cut by New England on Sept. 6. Before last season, Bodine had been a starter every year in the league at center, playing four seasons with the Bengals and one with the Bills.
Albert Wilson, WR, Miami Dolphins
Wilson became the second Dolphins receiver to opt out of the 2020 season in as many days, following the announcement of Allen Hurns on Tuesday. Wilson, 28, had 43 receptions in 2019, which ranked third on the team.
Ukeme Eligwe, LB, Raiders
Eligwe joined the Raiders as a free agent on Dec. 19, and though he was on the 53-man roster last season’s final two games, he was never active.
Allen Hurns, WR, Miami Dolphins
Hurns is the first Dolphins player to opt out so far. Hurns, 28, had 32 catches, 426 yards and two touchdowns last season. He was expected to make the roster as the Dolphins’ No. 4 or No. 5 receiver this season.
Andrew Billings, DT, Cleveland Browns
The Browns signed Billings this offseason on a one-year deal to combat their lack of depth up front last year. He would’ve been Cleveland’s top reserve defensive tackle, behind starters Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi.
Jeremiah Valoaga, DE, Raiders
Valoaga has played 13 career games for Detroit and San Francisco.
D.J. Killings, DE, Raiders
Killings has spent time on practice squads in Indianapolis and Green Bay but hasn’t played in an NFL game.
Ja’Wuan James, OT, Denver Broncos
James has informed the team that he will opt out of the 2020 season. James, 28, was entering the second year of a four-year, $51 million deal with Denver. He was limited to three games last season because of torn ligaments in his knee.
Jamize Olawale, FB, Dallas Cowboys
Olawale became the third Cowboy to opt out of the season, joining cornerback Maurice Canady and wide receiver Stephen Guidry. Olawale has been the Cowboys’ starting fullback the past two seasons.
Matt LaCosse, TE, New England Patriots
LaCosse raises the Patriots’ total number of opt-out players to eight, which is easily the most of any team in the league.
Marqise Lee, WR, New England Patriots
Lee, 28, became a first-time father in February, and said protecting his newborn daughter, Alia, and family was at the core of his decision. He signed this offseason with the Patriots after playing the first five years of his career in Jacksonville.
Chandler Brewer, OT, Los Angeles Rams
Rams tackle Chandler Brewer has opted out for the 2020 NFL season, according to an official team release. “With my history with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, I am at high risk and will opt out of playing in the NFL this season,” Brewer said, per the Rams website.
Al Woods, DT, Jacksonville Jaguars
The 6-foot-4, 330-pound run-stuffing defensive tackle signed a one-year contract worth $2.5 million with the Jaguars as a free agent in March after spending the 2019 season with Seattle.
Josh Tupou, DT, Cincinnati Bengals
Tupou signed a one-year deal with the Bengals after the team made him a restricted free agent in the offseason. Tupou appeared in all 16 games last season and made seven starts.
Damien Williams, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Williams has opted out of the 2020 season, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. Williams, 28, led the Chiefs in rushing last season with 498 yards and five touchdowns. He scored two touchdowns in Kansas City’s Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Nate Solder, OT, New York Giants
In a statement posted to Twitter, the 32-year-old Solder cited family concerns, including his son facing cancer and his own bout with cancer. Solder also has a newborn son. Solder, who won two Super Bowls with the Patriots, signed a four-year, $62 million contract with the Giants, with $35 million guaranteed, in March 2018. At the time, it made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL.
Devin Funchess, WR, Green Bay Packers
Funchess had first-hand experience with COVID-19 this offseason while caring for family members who contracted the virus. The 26-year-old veteran was the only experienced addition the Packers made to their receiving corps, which was viewed as one of the few weaknesses on a team that reached the NFC Championship Game last season.
Marquise Goodwin, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
In need of more speed at the receiver position, the Eagles acquired Goodwin from the 49ers in April. He was part of the “track team” Philadelphia assembled this offseason along with draft picks and fellow burners Jalen Reagor, John Hightower and Quez Watkins. Family is top of mind for Goodwin. His wife, Morgan, had a baby girl in February after suffering multiple miscarriages.
Michael Pierce, DT, Minnesota Vikings
Pierce is opting out for the 2020 season due to respiratory concerns, according to a source. The 27-year-old signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Vikings in March and was expected to replace Linval Joseph at nose tackle.
Star Lotulelei, DT, Buffalo Bills
Lotulelei signed a five-year, $50 million deal with the Bills in 2018 and has started at defensive tackle ever since, operating as one of the team’s primary run-stopping defensive linemen.
Eddie Goldman, DT, Chicago Bears
Goldman, 26, has been a stalwart on Chicago’s defensive line since he entered the league as a second-round draft choice in 2015.
Patrick Chung, S, New England Patriots
Chung had agreed to a two-year extension with the Patriots in May that included a $2 million signing bonus and base salary of $1.1 million. Chung, 32, was set to enter his 12th NFL season, 11 of which he’s spent with the Patriots.
Eddie Vanderdoes, DT, Houston Texans
The 25-year-old defensive lineman played in three games for Houston in 2019 after he was activated from the practice squad.
Andre Smith, OT, Baltimore Ravens
Smith, 33, was the oldest offensive lineman on the team and was expected to give Baltimore experienced depth at offensive tackle. The Ravens re-signed Smith on Feb. 6 on a one-year, $1.07 million deal ($25,000 guaranteed). The No. 6 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Smith spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Bengals.
Dont’a Hightower, LB, New England Patriots
A three-time Super Bowl champion and team captain, the 6-foot-3, 260-pound Hightower traditionally calls the defensive signals and was going to be relied upon as much as ever this season after the free-agency departures of linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins Sr.
Brandon Bolden, RB, New England Patriots
Bolden, 30, was set to enter his ninth NFL season, and eighth in New England. He is a core special-teams player who provides valuable depth on offense.
Marcus Cannon, OT, New England Patriots
Cannon, 32, overcame non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after he was drafted in 2011.
Danny Vitale, FB, New England Patriots
The 26-year-old Vitale, who was the team’s most experienced candidate to replace retired fullback James Develin, had signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal with the Patriots in May as a free agent.
Maurice Canady, CB, Dallas Cowboys
The 26-year-old Canady signed a one-year deal as a free agent in the offseason.
Chance Warmack, G, Seattle Seahawks
Warmack, 28, was expected to compete with third-round pick Damien Lewis and others for the starting job at right guard. He signed a veteran-minimum deal with Seattle in March after sitting out the 2019 season to get healthy.
De’Anthony Thomas, WR, Baltimore Ravens
After being Baltimore’s primary returner last season, Thomas, 27, re-signed with the Ravens on March 14 on a one-year, $935,000 (only $25,000 guaranteed) contract but was considered on the bubble entering training camp.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, G, Kansas City Chiefs
Duvernay-Tardif, 29, was the first NFL player to publicly say he won’t suit up this season. Duvernay-Tardif has been the Chiefs’ starting right guard for the past five seasons and played every offensive snap in their Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers. He is a medical school graduate from McGill University in Canada and had been assisting as an orderly in a long-term care facility in the Montreal area during the coronavirus pandemic.
