- More NFL teams have joined the offseason boycotts.
- The Browns, Patriots, and Raiders are only seeing some players boycott however.
- No official NFLPA statement has been released on behalf of those three teams.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
More NFL players are joining the offseason workouts boycott, but they might not all have the support of their entire teams.
The purpose of the boycotts, which began on Monday, is to protest the league's plan for an in-person offseason program due to concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
So far, the NFLPA has released statements on behalf of players from The Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Atlanta Falcons.
But the wording in some of the statements indicates that only some players will boycott while their teammates show up in person.
The Patriots' statement reads: "Many of us at the New England Patriots will be exercising our right not to attend voluntary workouts this offseason."
-NFLPA (@NFLPA) April 14, 2021
The Bears' statement reads: "The majority of our locker room are choosing to exercise our right and not participate in in-person voluntary workouts in order to stay as safe as possible."
Meanwhile, the Raiders' and Falcons' statements directly acknowledged that some of their players would show up for financial gain while others boycott.
The Raiders' statement reads: "Players from our team will not participate in a voluntary in-person workout program. We respect those players on our team and across the NFL that have financial incentives linked to their participation in the program."
The Falcons' statement reads: "Many of our players will decide to exercise their right to not attend the voluntary offseason program ... While our team is not unanimous, we respect the decisions of every player across the league and will remain professional in our approach to the game."
The split between players who chose to show up in person and those who decided to boycott the program could also prove to be opportunistic for younger, un-proven players looking to make an impression on the coaching staff.
According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, league sources have said that players have already asked teams whether they will be allowed to participate in the offseason program, even if their teammates boycott.
NFLPA executive director Demaurice Smith and president JC Tretter encouraged all players to boycott the mandatory workouts in a letter released on Tuesday according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, as they try to push the league toward adopting an all-virtual offseason format, just as they did last year through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The offseason program is voluntary, per the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. Still, teams often aim for full roster attendance for the programs, as it gives them a chance to get a head start on preparation for the season as a team and signifies that the players are collectively bought into the team's vision.
The defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to ensure that participation their own way. They said in their statement that the team would conduct its own entirely virtual offseason, even though the league has not folded on a decision to allow it.
"We had a fully virtual offseason last year, and we held each other accountable to do the work it took to win," the Buccaneers' statement said, "and we plan to do it again."
The other teams that have released statements did not specify whether the decision to boycott was unanimous among their rosters.