Reports: Patriots LB Hightower, Bears DT Goldman join opt-out list

New England Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower and running back Brandon Bolden are joining the list of players opting out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus, ESPN reported Tuesday. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Bears starting defensive tackle Eddie Goldman informed the team he was opting out. Houston Texans defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes will also opt out, Rapoport reported.


Reuters | Updated: 28-07-2020 20:50 IST | Created: 28-07-2020 20:50 IST
Reports: Patriots LB Hightower, Bears DT Goldman join opt-out list

New England Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower and running back Brandon Bolden are joining the list of players opting out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus, ESPN reported Tuesday. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Bears starting defensive tackle Eddie Goldman informed the team he was opting out.

Houston Texans defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes will also opt out, Rapoport reported. Hightower, 30, is a three-time Super Bowl champ and two-time Pro Bowl selection who has played in 102 games (99 starts) since the Patriots made him a first-round pick in 2012. He has 505 tackles and 25.5 sacks.

"Me and my fiancée are just more concerned with the health of our family than football -- especially the new addition to our family," Hightower, who has a newborn son, told Rapoport. Goldman reportedly has health concerns. If he has a medical necessity, he would receive a $350,000 stipend for 2020.

Players considered high risk for COVID-19 can earn a $350,000 stipend and an accrued NFL season if they decide to opt out. Players without risk can receive $150,000, according to the agreement approved last week by the league and the NFL Players Association, although the voluntary opt-out stipend is solely an advance toward future salary. Dallas Cowboys undrafted free agent wide receiver Stephen Guidry also opted out. He joins Cowboys cornerback Maurice Canady as the team's first players to opt out.

Broncos defensive tackle Kyle Peko informed the team he's not playing due to the coronavirus this season, and Ravens offensive tackle Andre Smith also reportedly will sit out. Bolden, also 30, has earned two Super Bowl rings with New England. In 114 games with the Patriots (2012-17, 2019) and Miami Dolphins (2018), he has rushed for 1,071 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Vanderdoes, 25, was a third-round pick of the Raiders in 2017. He appeared in 16 games (13 starts) for Oakland as a rookie and three games with Houston in 2019. Hightower and Bolden bring the Patriots' total of players opting out to at least five, along with offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, fullback Danny Vitale and offensive lineman Najee Toran.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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