Getty Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has earned respect around the NFL landscape not just for his work on the football field, but for the work he does elsewhere as well.
Duvernay-Tardif, a sixth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2014, was the first NFL player to opt out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. But he didn’t opt out to protect himself. Instead, he wanted to help others.
As a medical school graduate from McGill University in Canada, Duvernay-Tardif assisted as an orderly in a long-term care facility in the Montreal area throughout the pandemic.
“Being at the frontline during this offseason has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals and our healthcare system,” LDT wrote in a social media post on July 24, 2020. “I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love. If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients.”
Duvernay-Tardif then returned to football in 2021, where his stint with the Chiefs came to an end, as he was traded to the New York Jets on November 2. He would then play in 8 games and start 7 of them for New York during the remainder of the 2021 season.
On June 9, LDT announced he would be temporarily stepping away from football to do a residency program at a Montreal-area hospital as part of the medical requirements to become a physician. Despite doing the residency program, LDT told ESPN that he planned on reassessing his own interest in football as well as that of NFL clubs in September.
Now, it appears that LDT is on the verge of a comeback to the NFL based on some recent news coming out of New York.
LDT Could Sign With Jets
On Wednesday, November 16, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport revealed that LDT had worked out for the Jets and could be signed to the team’s practice squad.
From NFL Now: The #Jets could sign OL Laurent Duverney-Tardif after working him out today.
Twitter users reacted to the news.
“He’ll sign the contract and then decide he wants to be a doctor again,” one Twitter user wrote. “He wore out his welcome in KC with his fence riding between playing or not playing.”
@RapSheet @ArrowheadPride He’ll sign the contract and then decide he wants to be a doctor again. 🙄 He wore out his welcome in KC with his fence riding between playing or not playing.
“Loved him with the chiefs, loved his character even more. Should be a good pick up for the jets,” another user wrote.
@WiscoJets @RapSheet Loved him with the chiefs, loved his character even more. Should be a good pick up for the jets.
“Love it. Hope he succeeds, he sounds like a really selfless person, who risked his own neck to help others during a global emergency,” another user wrote.
Chiefs WRs Banged Up Ahead of SNF
The Chiefs’ receiver room is banged up prior to the team’s Sunday Night Football matchup against the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11. Mecole Hardman (abdomen), JuJu Smith-Schuster (concussion protocol), and Marquez Valdes-Scantling all missed practice on Wednesday, according to head coach Andy Reid.
There’s still plenty of time for those players to log some reps in practice this week and get ready for Sunday’s game. But if Kansas City’s top three receivers aren’t ready to go, then the Chiefs will have rookie Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, and Justin Watson as the top three wideouts to choose from.
Speaking to the media on November 16, quarterback Patrick Mahomes talked about Kansas City’s receiver room being banged up against a key divisional opponent.
“We put guys in positions to succeed,” Mahomes said during his press conference, via Charles Goldman of Chiefs Wire. “These guys can make plays in big moments. Hopefully, we can get some guys back later in the practice week. If not, we’ll be ready to go with whoever is out there.”
#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on the injuries in the WR room: “We put guys in positions to succeed. . . these guys can make plays in big moments. Hopefully, we can get some guys back later in the practice week. If not, we’ll be ready to go with whoever is out there.”