Five NFL players, one 'higher risk,' opt out of season

One such move was officially announced by a team, with the Baltimore Ravens
revealing that wide receiver/kick returner De'Anthony Thomas will skip the
season.

The others who reportedly opted out were New England Patriots fullback Danny
Vitale, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Maurice Canady, Seattle Seahawks guard
Chance Warmack and Washington Football Team defensive end Caleb Brantley.

Brantley was placed on the reserve list by Washington with a "higher-risk"
designation -- the only one of the five opt-outs on Monday reportedly in that
category. The distinction means that Brantley will receive a $350,000 stipend
for this year that won't count against future earnings, and he will be
credited with a year of service time.

For the other players regarding as having opted out for totally voluntary
reasons, they will get a $150,000 salary advance and their contract will toll.

Before Monday, the only NFL player who had opted out of the season due to the
pandemic was Kansas City Chiefs offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who
is a medical school graduate.

Thomas, 27, is forgoing a $935,000 salary this year. He split last season
between Kansas City and Baltimore, averaging 5.7 yards on 26 punt returns and
18.9 yards on 17 kickoff returns. He also had one reception for 6 yards and
two carries for 5 yards in 14 games.

Brantley, 25, played in 12 games (one start) for the Cleveland Browns in 2017,
then came off the bench for Washington for seven games in 2018 and one game in
2019. He has 19 career tackles and two sacks.

Warmack, 28, didn't play in the NFL last year. He made 48 starts at right
guard for the Tennessee Titans from 2013-16, and he appeared in 20 games
(three starts) for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 and '18. ESPN reported that
he had a family member die from COVID-19 and that other family members had the
illness.

Warmack had signed a $910,000 deal with Seattle in March.

Vitale, 26, was due to make $1.3 million this year. He has played for the
Browns (2016-17) and the Green Bay Packers (2018-19). In 15 games (four
starts) last year, Vitale had seven catches for 97 yards and one carry for 3
yards.

Canady, 26, played with the Ravens from 2016 until he was claimed off waivers
by the New York Jets last November. In a combined 13 games (three starts) last
year, he had 46 tackles, one interception and five passes defensed.

--Field Level Media