Seahawks Players Opt out of Voluntary Offseason Workouts, Citing COVID-19

The Seattle Seahawks became the second team on Tuesday to see its players unanimously choose to skip this offseason's voluntary workouts because of ongoing concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic, joining the Denver Broncos.

Seattle's players released the following statement through the NFLPA:

Earlier on Tuesday, the Broncos' players released a similar statement:

Additionally, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and president JC Tretter recommended that players skip voluntary workouts this season, perhaps opening the door for more teams to follow the lead set by Denver and Seattle's players:

An all-virtual offseason wouldn't be unprecedented—it was the approach the league took last season after the coronavirus pandemic began.

But the NFL appears to be pushing forward with in-person workouts and minicamps, all but mandating coronavirus vaccines for coaches and non-player personnel on Tuesday:

One thing that will be interesting to monitor, should the NFLPA get its way on a virtual offseason, will be injuries suffered away from team facilities. 

Suffice to say, the complications stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, like the pandemic itself, aren't going away anytime soon, especially if more players follow in the footsteps of those from the Broncos and Seahawks.