Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff can breath a sigh of relief -- at least for now.
With the NFL's opt-out deadline having come and gone at 4 p.m. Thursday, no Steelers players had been announced as exercising their right to voluntarily sit out this season via an agreement reached by the league and the NFLPA.
That could change later in the day as the NFL finalized the list, but it left the Steelers as one of a handful of teams who didn't have a single player decide not to play this season, either because of personal choice or concerns over potential health issues of their own or a family member.
Tomlin addressed the media earlier in the day and said if the team did have anyone who chose not to play this season, he and the organization would back that player.
But he also noted the NFL is taking steps to attempt to keep its players safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
"If that were the case, that is a very individual decision, one that we all would understand, respect and adjust," Tomlin said of players opting out. "I respect the challenges that these circumstances have presented to other leagues, some of which we’re witnessing. I think we’re all proceeding with caution and working extremely hard not to become part of that. We’ve got some people in leadership positions Dr. (Allen) Sills and other medical professionals that have led the charge for us globally in the NFL. We’re working our tails off to adhere to it and hoping that is enough, coupled with, obviously, personal decision-making that needs to be exhibited continually by our guys throughout the course of this."
That program that is in place is ultimately what made players, if they were on the fence about participating this season, feel confident moving forward.
The Steelers have tried to be transparent in their plans to keep players safe.
"Everyone has their own prerogative; they need to take care of their family. I think the NFL did a great job of providing us — I know the Steelers have, personally, provided us with a safe environment," Steelers linebacker Vince Williams said. "But that is a decision that every man has to make for himself."
That has included trying out different tactics for team meetings.
Obviously, when players are on the field, they are going to come in contact with each other. But the Steelers have tried to limit the off-field contact. They're holding training camp at Heinz Field instead of the UPMC-Rooney Sports Complex or Saint Vincent College. And they've given players private space by utilizing suites and any room at the stadium where they can provide them with the proper social distancing.
"We’re doing different things. We’re taking this transitional or this conditioning period, if you will, to try different things because we’re all going through an environment now where you’ve got some unusual considerations," Tomlin said. "For example, today in my morning team meeting, I met with the veteran players in person, and I had all the assistants and rookies view that team meeting remotely from other parts of the building either via a handheld device, iPad or so forth, or we have some in-house television monitors that they can tune in on the channel anywhere within the building and participate in that meeting.
"That’s just part of normal procedure for us for 2020. We’re not going to run away from that."
Players could either voluntarily opt of playing this season or do so if they had an existing medical condition, or what the league called high risk medical conditions.
To be designated a voluntary opt-out, a player must be under contract or subject to a tender. The player's contract would toll (roll over to next season), however, he will not receive an accrued season. The player will be eligible for a stipend of $150,000 to be treated as a salary advance against his tolled contract. Undrafted free agents were not eligible for the stipend, which must be paid back if the player doesn't earn a roster spot in 2021.
To be considered a high-risk opt out, the player had to have a pre-existing medical condition from a modified list of ailments taken from CDC guidelines. Players on that list would receive a stipend of $350,000 that will not be considered an advance on their 2021 salary. They will receive an accrued season toward free agency and all benefits and minimum salary credit for a credited season.
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