By Adam Roberts – 6/25/2021
With the 2021 NFL offseason rolling along and training camp about a month away, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that players will have the option to opt out of the 2021 season if they indicate their intention to do so by July 2nd, one week from today. And while I would take anything ProFootball’s Mike Florio has to say about Aaron Rodgers, the opt out option could present a fourth way the Rodgers’ scenario plays out.
Florio pointed to the amount of money Rodgers would save if he opted out: 18.2 million dollars to be specific. The catch is two-fold: he would need to make the decision by July 2nd as noted above, and at age 38 he would be willingly missing out on a year of play. If Rodgers does opt out, he could still keep his signing bonus and roster bonus money and dodge up to 2 million dollars in total fines.
Important to note as well: only players who are at higher risk for COVID complications will receive a stipend for opting out this year, as opposed to last year where anyone opting out would get no less than 150,000 dollars.
Will we see another round of back and forth over the next week as each side looks to gain an advantage? We shall see.