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Former first-round draft pick Chance Warmack sat out of the 2019 NFL season to get himself healthy to play again, but now with the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the United States, he won’t take part in the 2020 season.
Mike Garofalo reported on Monday that Warmack is the latest NFL player who’s voluntarily opted out of this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
#Seahawks OL Chance Warmack will be taking a voluntary opt-out for this season, source says. The former 10th overall pick, who sat out last season, had signed with Seattle in the spring.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 27, 2020
Warmack was signed by the Seahawks with the intention of competing for a roster spot at the guard position, with Mike Iupati and Damien Lewis as the presumptive starters. Originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans, Warmack last played for the Philadelphia Eagles and had more special teams snaps than offensive snaps in 2018.
According to the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta, while Warmack was not deemed a high-risk individual for contracting COVID-19, he has had people close to him contract the virus, and if he does return to the NFL it’ll be in 2021. He will receive a $150,000 stipend from the league and his contract will toll into next year, so he’s still a Seahawk.
Other players who have opted out thus far are Baltimore Ravens WR De’Anthony Thomas and Kansas City Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who’s been on the frontline of this pandemic as a medical doctor.