Jets players won’t attend voluntary, in-person spring workouts amid COVID-19 pandemic
While the NFL wants teams to attend voluntary offseason workouts in person starting on April 19, players on more than a third of the teams in the league have decided to opt out of those workouts because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
That contingent of teams now includes the Jets, whose players released a statement through the NFLPA on Friday explaining their decision to become the 11th team whose players who won’t attend voluntary workouts in-person:
Football is a labor of love for our men, who work year-round to stay in shape and prepare ourselves to perform at the highest level. Given that we are still in a pandemic and based on the facts provided to our membership by our union and about the health and safety benefits of a virtual offseason, many of us will exercise our CBA right and not attend in-person voluntary workouts.
We respect that every play has a right to make a decision about what is best for him and his family, and we stand in solidarity with other players across the NFL who are making informed choices about this offseason.
The statement didn’t specify which players will or won’t opt-out of the workouts, but it’s similar to what the 10 other teams said through other NFLPA statements. Those teams include the Steelers, Raiders, Giants, Browns, Bears, Patriots, Lions, Buccaneers, Seahawks and Broncos.
Team facilities were closed last year at this time because of the pandemic and all teams were forced to conduct an all-virtual offseason until training camp. The preseason was also canceled.
But even as cases surge in some states while vaccinations are rolled out, the NFL wants to get as close to normal as it can a year later. That includes full capacity stadiums during the regular season, which NFL commissioner Roger Goodell already said he expects to happen. The 2021 NFL draft will return to being in-person after being virtual last year.
The rest of the NFL offseason plan, as laid out by league spokesman Brian McCarthy, is broken up into three phases:
The first phase begins April 19 and runs until May 14 and includes virtual meetings, two hours per day at team facilities, limited access to weight rooms and no on-field drills or work with coaches. Teams will also be asked to do whatever they can to provide vaccines to players and staff.
The second phase will run from May 17-21 and includes virtual meetings and on-field, non-contact drills with coaches.
The third phase will run from May 24 to June 18 with full-speed, non-contact OTAs for 10 days, in-person and virtual meetings, and mandatory minicamp.
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