Seahawks' Tyler Lockett: Virtual offseason 'worked out perfectly fine' in 2020

Players for the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks declared on Tuesday that they intend to boycott voluntary in-person offseason workouts that can begin next Monday as the NFL Players Association continues to urge all players to avoid such activities due to COVID-19 risks and concerns. 

Seattle wide receiver and player representative Tyler Lockett spoke with reporters later in the day and hinted he and his teammates are committed to a virtual offseason for the second straight year. 

"Last year we did a virtual offseason. Nobody expected it to happen, and it worked out perfectly fine," Lockett said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "We also want to do a virtual this year."

Cleveland Browns center and NFLPA president JC Tretter, along with NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, have repeatedly encouraged all players to boycott voluntary in-person offseason workouts both to avoid exposure to COVID-19 infections that have carried long-term impacts on athletes across multiple sports and as a show of unity for upcoming negotiations amid the pandemic. While COVID-19 vaccine rollouts continue throughout the country, there's still no guarantee the shots will work against every existing and future coronavirus variant. 

Earlier in the day, the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres announced they want to have full attendances for home games this fall but intend to limit tickets only to those fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Currently, neither the NFL nor NFLPA is forcing players to receive vaccine shots to participate in any league activities.