James Conner has gone through a lot to become an NFL player, but here’s why the Pittsburgh Steelers running back never considered opting out in 2020.
2020 hasn’t been easy on anyone, and NFL players are no exception. With fears of COVID-19 spreading to high-risk players or their loved ones, the league and the NFLPA agreed to allow players a chance to opt out of the 2020 NFL season. One of the players who did not express that option was Steelers running back, James Conner.
While we have no right to question the motives of any NFL players and their decision to play or sit out the 2020 season, Conner certainly had a legitimate reason to opt out due to his history with Cancer. However, this option was something that never even crossed his mind. Here’s what Conner had to say, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor:
James Conner says he never thought about opting out: "i was excited to get back and be around my teammates and be around football again. I still haven't thought about it or questioned playing this year."
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 12, 2020
Conner was excited to be back around his teammates and play football again, and apparently, opting out was something that wasn’t even on the table for him. If you’ve been following James Conner for any length of time, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
While most players would have given up on football after a serious battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Conner was determined to get back on the field as soon as possible. After defeating cancer, Conner wasn’t quite the same running back when he returned to the field for the Pittsburgh Panthers in 2016 as a redshirt junior, but his football career was far from over.
Eventually, Conner was drafted with a compensatory third-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers and went on to become a Pro Bowl running back in 2018.
Now, despite the pandemic, Conner is ready and more determined than ever. Ben Roethlisberger’s return to the team this year will no doubt provide a substantial boost to their offense. Though Conner saw his efficiency dip down to just 4.0 yards per carry last season, the return of Big Ben should keep the defense on it’s heals.
The biggest problem for Conner since entering the league has been his inability to stay on the football field. Conner has missed multiple games in each of his first three NFL seasons, and he was sidelined for 6 games in 2019 thanks to some nagging injuries.
Since Conner was drafted in 2017, the Steelers have drafted three other running backs (Jaylen Samuels, Benny Snell, and Anthony McFarland) in the last three NFL Drafts. Because of Conner’s extensive injury history, it’s possible that Pittsburgh could deploy a running back by committee in 2020.
James Conner is entering a contract year for the Steelers, and his future beyond 2020 is still very much up in the air. Regardless, he’s the type of player who is going to focus on the here and now, and his decision to play this year is just another statement of how much the game means to him.