Chicago Bears safety Jordan Lucas has decided to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season due to health and safety concerns about COVID-19, the team announced Monday.
Lucas is now the second player for the Bears that will be sitting out this season. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman was the first player on the Bears roster to opt-out.
The Bears signed Lucas in March after spending two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. The 27-year old signed a one year contract worth $1 million.
This comes after the report from ESPN Dan Graziano saying the NFL and NFLPA are expected to extend the opt-out deadline to either Thursday or Friday. The NFL now has over 40 players opting out of the 2020 season.
The Bears have also activated defensive tackle John Jenkins and tight end Eric Saubert off the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Jenkins’ return to the active roster is good news for the Bears, who were left without a true nose tackle on their roster following Goldman’s opt-out and Jenkins being placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. He’s the in-house favorite to replace Goldman this season. Although the Bears could look elsewhere in free agency should they desire.
The Bears also waived offensive lineman Dino Boyd.
