NFL Opt-Out Deadline Passes, Three Chiefs to Forgo 2020 Season

After the passing of Thursday's deadline to opt out of the 2020 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs will officially be without three members of the team as they head into an uncertain year of football.

Most recently, Chiefs rookie offensive lineman Lucas Niang elected to opt out on Thursday, becoming the first rookie draft pick to forgo the 2020 season. Niang figured to compete for a spot in 2020 but seemed especially poised to give the Chiefs some future options at tackle in 2021 and beyond, potentially becoming the '21 replacement for left tackle Eric Fisher.

Previously, running back Damien Williams opted out of the upcoming season so he could more safely spend time with his mother, who was diagnosed with stage-four cancer. Williams was a star of the Chiefs' Super Bowl run throughout the playoffs and was likely to share the lead running back role with rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire in 2020.

Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was the first player in the NFL to opt out so he could continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in his offseason work as an orderly at a Canadian long-term care facility.

"Being at the frontline during this offseason has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals in our healthcare system," Duvernay-Tardif tweeted. "I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love. If I am to take frisks, I will do it caring for patients."

The Chiefs organization has publicly expressed its full support of the decisions made by Duvernay-Tardif, Williams and Niang.