Veteran offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is once again putting his NFL career on hold.

Per the Canadian Press (h/t the Associated Press), the 31-year-old Canadian will begin a residency program at a Montreal-area hospital in July. Duvernay-Tardif, who is working toward becoming a physician, was the first player to opt out of the 2020 season, and he did so to assist in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by working at a long-term care facility in Montreal.

Duvernay-Tardif is an unrestricted free agent after spending last season with the New York Jets. He began his career with the Kansas City Chiefs as a sixth-round pick in 2014, and he was part of the team's championship win in Super Bowl LIV.

Only the fourth NFL player ever to graduate from medical school, Duvernay-Tardif said he plans on reassessing his playing career around September.

"I'm going to prioritize medicine ... and we'll see in September if there's a fit," Duvernay-Tardif told the CP. "After eight years in the NFL, and I don't want to sound pretentious by saying this, but I think I've earned the right to do what's best for me and not just for football and kind of bet on myself a little bit."

Duvernay-Tardif added that it's not guaranteed that he'll return for the start of the 2022 season.

"I'm really comfortable with the risk and I'm pretty confident there's going to be an offer on the table in September if I want it. And if I want it I'll take it," he said. "If medicine is going well and I feel like I've got to be out there in front of 80,000 people to play the sport I love, well, I'll go but I think I want it to be more on my terms."