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Report: NFL Players Given Until Aug. 1 To Opt Out Of 2020 Season

BOSTON (CBS) -- The NFL is giving players the option to not play in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. But the league isn't giving players much time to make that decision.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the league will allow players to opt out of the season, provided they provide that intention in writing by August 1.

With just two weeks left until that date, and with many health and safety questions still unanswered, that's not a tremendous amount of time for players to make this significant decision.

Pelissero also reported that the league and the union have differing views on how to deal with the billions of dollars in lost revenue expected in 2020.

After players showed no interest in putting 35 percent of their 2020 salaries into escrow, the league has now proposed that every team cuts player costs by $40 million this season.

Considering zero teams currently have $40 million in cap space, and considering that only two teams are even close to having that kind of cap space, a $40 million reduction in the cap in 2020 does not seem particularly viable.

The players prefer to keep the 2020 financial situation intact, while spreading out the losses over the several seasons that follow 2020, so as not to seriously disrupt player income.

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