2020 NFL opt-out deadline: Five players opt out on final day, including one Jets receiver

Decisions from the final day for players to opt out of the upcoming NFL season

The NFL and NFLPA finalized the rules surrounding opt-out protocol for the 2020 season earlier this week as players decide whether to risk playing football during a pandemic. The agreement established a firm deadline of 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, which has now come and gone. From here, players will only have the opportunity to opt out if "a close family member gets seriously sick with COVID or if they themselves are newly diagnosed with a high-risk condition," per the NFLPA.

There were two types of opt-out options. Players who qualify as having a high-risk condition will receive a $350,000 stipend that does not count as a salary advance, their contracts will toll, and they will earn an accrued season toward free agency. Those who don't qualify as high risk can choose the voluntary opt-out option, which includes a $150,000 salary advance for the 2021 season and a tolling of contracts but no credit of an accrued season.

Five players were added to the opt-out list Thursday: Jets WR Josh Doctson, Chiefs OT Lucas Niang, Bucs OT Brad Seaton, Jaguars CB Rashaan Melvin and Browns G Malcolm Pridgeon. You can also find the full list of players who have opted out of 2020 broken down by team in our tracker.

Below, you can catch up with the latest news from deadline day as it happened.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:46 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

Thank you to everyone that followed along with our coverage today! The regular season will be here before you know it.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:45 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

We added five new players to the opt-out list today: Jets WR Josh Doctson, Chiefs OT Lucas Niang, Bucs OT Brad Seaton, Jaguars CB Rashaan Melvin, Browns G Malcolm Pridgeon.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:42 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

The final and official list of players that have opted out: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/...

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:41 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

There are some exceptions for players opting out during the season. If they receive a new medical diagnosis that puts them at risk, then they have the opportunity to opt out. If a family members contracts or is killed by the virus, then they have the chance to opt out. For most players, however, they are now locked into the season.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:38 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

No new opt outs beyond Doctson.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:33 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

Tom Brady's new team is relatively intact.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:33 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

Former first-round pick opts out.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:11 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

One more name that DID opt out.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:08 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

No more opt outs for the Titans. OT Anthony McKinney was the only Tennessee player to opt out.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:06 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

Cowboys edge rusher Tank Lawrence will also play this season.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:05 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

An update on the big name for whom we had been waiting. Bills CB Tre'Davious White has NOT opted out.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 4:04 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

The deadline has now passed. The day's official transaction wire will not come out until 5 p.m. ET so it is entirely possible we still get some opt outs post 4 p.m. ET.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 3:46 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

15 minutes away now. It is not necessarily a hard deadline in the sense that yes, players have to provide written notice by 4 p.m. ET but those decisions may not be leaked or revealed to the media until after 4 p.m.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 3:20 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

Rousseau went No. 5 overall to the Giants in my early 2021 mock NFL Draft. Penn State LB Micah Parsons, who has also opted out, went No. 4 overall to the Dolphins. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/...

[Aug 6, 2020 at 3:17 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

Another big opt out in college football: Miami edge rusher Gregory Rousseau.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 3:00 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

One hour left until the deadline. It is quiet right now...too quiet...

[Aug 6, 2020 at 2:30 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

We are an hour and a half away from the deadline for players to opt out. Here is the up-to-date list of those that have already made the decision. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/...

[Aug 6, 2020 at 1:54 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

The fifth Browns player to opt out and four offensive lineman.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 1:27 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

We are discussing NFL opt outs today but we have also seen three high profile college players opt out of their respective seasons: Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley, Penn State LB Micah Parsons and Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman. All have first-round potential and will not spend the next eight months working out leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 1:16 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

Jaguars CB Rashaan Melvin has opted out.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 12:51 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

One player that will NOT be opting out of the upcoming season: Giants QB Daniel Jones.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 12:48 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

Tampa Bay was one of the five teams that had not had a player opt out entering today.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 12:46 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

We may not be done yet.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 12:32 pm ET · Josh Edwards]

Chiefs starting offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif became the first player to opt out on Aug. 24. There has now been a total of 61 players to opt out. The NFL regular season is scheduled to open Thursday, Sept. 10, with the Texans at the Chiefs.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 11:59 am ET · Josh Edwards]

High-risk individuals could opt-out and receive a $350,000 stipend whereas those less at risk would receive a $150,000 stipend. If you're a player on the fringe of making the practice squad, it is a difficult decision. Players that are kept on the practice squad for the duration of the year would minimally earn $142,800.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 11:30 am ET · Josh Edwards]

Players that elect to opt out must provide the club with written notice of his decision. Once given, the notice will be irrevocable for the remainder of the 2020 season.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 11:03 am ET · Josh Edwards]

The Patriots have had twice as many players (8) opt out as any other team. The Browns have had four while the Lions, Jets, Dolphins, Giants, Cowboys, Colts and Chiefs each have had three.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 10:40 am ET · Josh Edwards]

There are five teams that have not had at least one player opt out: the Falcons, Rams, Buccaneers, Steelers and Chargers.

[Aug 6, 2020 at 10:08 am ET · Josh Edwards]

Tretter also discussed the window of time that players have had to make their decisions:

"Yeah. Originally, we wanted to make sure guys had time to make an educated decision. That is why in the original document we wanted to make sure we carved out about a week. If the document would have went through the editing process quickly, it would have been about seven to nine days for guys to make a decision. In the end because it took so long to come to an agreement on language, guys are going to end up with 13 days to make the decision. I think that is plenty of time."

[Aug 6, 2020 at 9:47 am ET · Josh Edwards]

We have our first opt out of the day. The defending Super Bowl champions become even more thin along the offensive line.