The New York Jets have their first opt-out of a potential 2020 season in the form of the backup offensive lineman.
The #Jets have an opt-out: OL Leo Koloamatangi, source said, informed the team that he’ll do so due to COVID-19 concerns. He got playing time late last season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 28, 2020
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, New York Jets offensive lineman Leo Kolomatangi has opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. He is the first member of the Jets to opt-out of a potential upcoming season.
The 26-year-old blocker entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He spent two years in the Detroit Lions’ system before joining the Jets’ practice squad last October. Kolomatangi was later promoted to the active roster in November, though he did not appear in any games. The Jets re-signed Kolomatangi in April.
Kolomatangi has been working in Hawaii this offseason, forming the Hawaii Towards Zero program, which, according to its mission statement, focuses “on achieving ZERO cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Hawaii” and to “restore what our lives once were, in a safe and new way”. The Fort Worth native spent his college days at the University of Hawaii, where he helped the Rainbow Warriors end a six-year bowl drought with a victory over Middle Tennessee in the 2016 Hawaii Bowl.
“I am with Hawaii Towards Zero because I feel this is the least I can do for a state and a people that have impacted my life so much,” Kolomatangi says on the organization’s site.
With Kolomatangi’s opt-out, the Jets are down to 85 players on their active roster after two other moves relating to the current health crisis. The Jets are also set to place rookie cornerbacks Bryce Hall and Shyheim Carter were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Hall was chosen in the fifth round of April’s draft while Carter is an undrafted free agent. Teams are set to cut down to 80 players by August 16.
Placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list does not necessarily mean a positive test, as placement could mean mere contact with someone who tested positive.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags