Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks. (Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)
The Seattle Seahawks have exercised their right in the CBA to not take part in voluntary OTAs.
With the NFL wanting the 2021 offseason to be more in-person than it was a season ago, the Seattle Seahawks are the latest franchise to say their players will not be showing up for voluntary organized team activities, per their clause in the current collective bargaining agreement.
The Denver Broncos have decided to go in this direction as well and we should expect several other teams to follow their lead. Over the weekend, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle and player representative Cameron Heyward was especially critical of the NFL’s offseason plans and ripped the league thoroughly in a lengthy Twitter thread. NFL players want it to remain virtual.
It feels like players are only going to show up to the facility when they are 100 percent required to.
The Seattle Seahawks will not take part in voluntary OTAs this offseason
It does not come as a surprise that the Seahawks would be one of the teams very adamant about not taking part in voluntary team activities in the midst of a global pandemic. Seattle’s football culture is one where head coach Pete Carroll has allowed his players to be very outspoken. While Carroll probably wanted his team to get in some work in-person, now it is not happening this year.
Overall, this could be a larger adjustment the NFL will have to make in the years to come. Going virtual has brought out a lot of positive things in several industries. While in-person work is crucial to on-field success in the NFL, expect for more and more meetings to be virtual in the coming years. You better believe it will be a discussion point in the next collective bargaining agreement.
The Seahawks not going to voluntary organized team activities is right in line with who they are.