The Tennessee Titans on Tuesday became the latest to join the long list of teams that won't participate in voluntary offseason workouts, with that list reaching 21 of the 32 teams. Through the NFLPA, players from the 49ers, Rams, Dolphins, Jets, Chargers, Falcons, Steelers, Raiders, Giants, Browns, Bears, Patriots, Lions, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Saints, Ravens, Broncos, Eagles, Vikings and Titans have issued statements expressing their intent to forgo participating in voluntary offseason workouts. The statements were released amid NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and president JC Tretter issuing a letter to players encouraging them to not attend voluntary workouts because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Titans' statement says they are in solidarity with other players across the NFL who will exercise their right not to attend in-person voluntary workouts, but that they understand some players will need to be at the facility for different reasons. The Vikings released a statement on Monday saying virtually the same thing. Both teams also referenced injury data from the previous year as a reason not to attend.
On Saturday, the 49ers, Saints, and Ravens announced that all or some of their players will not attend voluntary in-person workouts this offseason. The 49ers' statement cited apprehension about taking "avoidable risks" in the face of the pandemic.
The Saints did not mention the pandemic in their statement:
"We stand in solidarity with our fellow NFL players across the league to call on a fully virtual offseason. By now, the benefits to our health and safety are well known, with significant reductions to concussions, missed time injuries and soft tissue recovery. We came together as a team and we will not be attending in-person voluntary workouts.
"We know the importance of preparation in the offseason and as professionals, we are always preparing our minds and bodies to play the game we love."
The Eagles followed suit on Sunday, but admitted in their statement that every player has to make a decision that is best for that player. Still, Philly's roster came together and made a decision to stand in solidarity with players from other teams.
In their statement, the Broncos pointed to the ongoing pandemic as the reason why they will not be attending voluntary workouts. Players pointed to the positivity rates in Denver being higher now than this time a year ago. The Broncos' statement also pointed to the success of the 2020 NFL regular season when making their argument for a second virtual offseason.
"Despite having a completely virtual offseason last year, the quality of play across the NFL was better than ever by almost every measure," the Broncos statement read. "We hope players across the NFL work with our union as we did to get all the facts so every player can make an informed decision."
The Broncos were the first team to publicly announce their decision to not participate in offseason workouts on April 13, with a slew of other teams continuing to follow suit.
"A virtual offseason [in 2020] helped keep us safe to not only start, but finish the regular season as safety as possible and it makes no sense for us to risk infection or injury in the spring if we don't have to," the Steelers players wrote in a statement on April 16. "The protection we had in place last year are not fully in place now and remain unclear. We are professionals and are committed to being in the best shape possible.
"Our team holds each other accountable to the highest professional standards and we will prepare as we always do to be the best for Steelers Nation."
Players from the Rams, Dolphins, Jets, Chargers, and Falcons released similar statements later on April 16.
"While we all feel optimism that the pandemic can be beaten, we are still in the fight and believe it is unnecessary at this time for players to be volunteering to put themselves at risk for in-person workouts, with our players currently around the country working to safely improve their game on their own," the Rams' statement read in part.
The Dolphins' statement cited the NFL's "lack of clear and timely protocols" and indicated that their players "stand in solidarity with players across the league who are making informed decisions to exercise their right to not attend voluntary in-person workouts this offseason."
The Chargers noted that they "had a virtual offseason last year that protected us and our families from a pandemic, but also showed beneficial to our overall health and safety," and for those reasons, many players would exercise their CBA-granted right not to attend in-person voluntary workouts.
The NFLPA's leadership had been operating under the hope that the NFL would be open to having another virtual offseason. Tretter reportedly told players earlier this month that the NFLPA wants virtual OTAs and minicamps before an in-person training camp.
"It is the recommendation of the NFLPA based on our medical experts' advice that if the voluntary offseason program is in person, players should not attend," Smith and Tretter said in their letter to players, via NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "Therefore, as teams host calls to discuss these issues we urge that all players consider their own health and safety, make a personal decision about attending voluntary workouts and take into consideration the unanimous recommendation of the NFLPA COVID committee that we have an entirely virtual offseason."
Off the heels of the NFLPA and various teams' statements, the NFL released an overview of their offseason program for 2021. In all, it will be nine weeks in length and is entirely voluntary outside of mandatory minicamp, which has been the status quo. The first phase (April 19 to May 14) will consist of virtual meetings, no on-field drills or work with coaches and the facility along with weight room capacity will remain in place. The second phase (May 17-21) adds full speed on-field drills with coaches into the mix, albeit with no contact. Finally, the third phase (May 24 to June 18) includes traditional OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
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The Seahawks' statement was entirely focused on safety while echoing the Broncos and the NFLPA's push for a virtual offseason.
"While many states in this country are still seeing rising COVID-19 numbers, we believe that a virtual offseason is best for everyone's protection," the Seahawks' statement read. "Our hope is that we will see a positive shift in the COVID-19 data that will allow for a safe return for players when mandatory workouts are set to begin."
Other teams continued to follow suit, including the defending champion Buccaneers, who issued a statement on Tuesday night, and the Bears, who spoke out Thursday along with the Browns and Giants. Chicago said only that a "majority" of its locker room would forgo voluntary workouts in lieu of specific safety protocols from the NFL, while the Bucs touted their successful 2020 program.
"We had a fully virtual offseason last year and we held each other accountable to do the work it took to win," the Buccaneers' statement wrote, "and we plan to do it again."
The Lions referenced the state of Michigan in their statement, and how they have been hit hard by the pandemic. The franchise says guidance from medical experts indicates they should play it safe again this offseason.
"Players on our team are proud to support other players across the league in making an informed decision about their health and safety, guided by the facts and support from our union."
As for the Patriots, their statement notes that "many" of the players "will be exercising our right to not attend voluntary workouts this offseason."
"While we understand that some players will need to go for various reasons and some safety measures have been put in place, we also know that NFL players have a choice which our union bargained for. We saw health and safety benefits that a fully virtual offseason had on our fellow players last year. As experienced professionals who love the game, we know how to prepare our minds and bodies for an NFL season and look forward to working hard in pursuit of a Super Bowl this upcoming season."
The NFL issued a memo encouraging players and personnel to get vaccinated. And while it is not mandatory, any team employee who refuses a vaccination without "bona fide medical or religious ground" will have restricted access within the team facility and can not work directly with players, according to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones. The NFL believes that vaccinations will make it easier to return to normalcy as far as the workplace is concerned. That includes the possibility of no on-site testing, no mask wearing and no tracking devices, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently said that he expects full stadiums for the 2021 season. The NFL recently went forward on having a 17-game regular season for the first time while reducing the preseason to three games. Later this month, the NFL will have an in-person draft in Cleveland after having a virtual draft last spring. Select draft prospects will be in Cleveland for the draft, while teams will be permitted to have social distant draft rooms.
