LA Rams News: NFL official Opt-out deadline is now set

LA Rams News: NFL official Opt-out is now set for August 6 at 1:00 pm PT

In the latest LA Rams News update – the NFL has now officially set the Opt-out deadline for August 6 at 1:00 pm PT. Why the delay? The NFL and NFLPA continued to hammer out compromise details and language to achieve a suitable and binding agreement that both sides were willing to agree to.

That agreement has not been reached. The NFL official Opt-out deadline is now set. Everything is in place to begin another thrilling season of NFL football. And while the Opt-out deadline is now set, special circumstances may arise which will require players to elect the need to Opt-out.  The agreement between the NFL and NFLPA now stands with the written addendum to cover the various scenarios for players to sit this season out.

So far 50 players have chosen to Opt-out. Of that number, only one LA Rams player has elected to Opt-out so far. He is OL Chandler Brewer and has opted out in the High-Risk category.

Voluntary Opt-outs

The NFL has created two categories for players who elect to Opt-out of the 2020 NFL season. Any player can choose a voluntary opt-out. Any player who decides to opt-out under this category will receive a $150,000 advance against their 2020 base salary plus any applicable bonuses due for that year., and their contract is frozen. Their contract resumes in 2021, and the player will be due from his base salary reduced by his $150K advance. They will not be paid any bonuses for a second time.

As for salary-cap considerations?  Bonuses paid prior to the election will still count, but the base salary impact falls to zero this year. Forfeiture of the salary buoys the 2020 available funds, which can then be used to sign a new player or rolled over into 2021. Players who voluntarily Opt-out will not accrue an NFL year in the calculation of qualified offers or team designations for free agency.

High-Risk Opt-outs

Understanding that some medical conditions or circumstances create a much higher risk of complications if a player contracts the coronavirus, the NFL and NFLPA agreed to a separate and distinct High-Risk Opt-out category.  They have defined this category by any player who possesses one or more of 15 different conditions under the “medially higher-risk” opt-out category. The medical conditions include cancer, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension (high blood pressure), and an immunocompromised state (weakened immune system).

The differences in this category are that players will receive a $350,000 stipend which is not a salary advance. It is simply added to the Total Player Cost ($350K + any payable bonuses). The other main difference is that players in the High-Risk category will accrue a season to be used in future calculations for qualifying offers and team designations for free agency. Five NFL players qualify in this category,