"Of course [COVID-19] is always a concern, but work is work. We gotta do what we gotta do."
That's NFL star Adrian Peterson admitting the looming threat of coronavirus is definitely on his mind ... but so is a paycheck.
The NFL has seen over a dozen players -- including New England Patriots stars Patrick Chung and Dont'a Hightower -- opt out of the 2020 season due to COVID concerns this week.
But, when we got Peterson out at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Monday ... he told us he almost certainly won't be the next name on the list.
As for why ... it's pretty clear Peterson feels that's just what's required of him to earn his check in Washington.
One of his teammates, D-lineman Caleb Brantley, obviously feels differently ... the 25-year-old just opted out on Monday, becoming the first player to publicly accept the NFL's "high-risk" opt-out option.
There could be more players sitting soon too ... the league's deadline for opt-outs keeps getting pushed back -- and could ultimately fall to sometime late next week.
L.A. Chargers running back Austin Ekeler also expressed his concerns with us earlier this week ... but says he's "ready to try" to make the season happen.
By the way, we also spoke with Peterson about Washington's name change ... and he says he's happy the team is rebranding -- but he tells us he's got ZERO input when it comes to a new name.