We’ll keep track of today’s later round draft signings here:
Phase 1 of the NFL’s reopening will begin Tuesday. Various front office staffers and other team personnel will have the option to work from team facilities, but coaches — and players who are not rehabbing injuries — continue to wait.
The league’s current line of thinking points to teams’ coaching staffs not being back at facilities until all 32 facilities are open, Judy Battista of NFL.com tweets. Several cannot open Tuesday because of stay-at-home orders remaining in effect.
Although players are not expected to be at team facilities until training camp, events of Monday afternoon provided a glimmer of hope in a grim stretch for sports. Texas joined Arizona and Florida among states that have reopened for sports, with the Lone Star State set to green-light fan-less games beginning May 31. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also said today that June 1 could serve as an opening for his state’s sports contests to resume (sans fans), via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater (on Twitter).
The NFL allowing teams’ coaches to return to facilities while others wait would not seemingly provide an immense advantage for certain teams, at least compared to the league giving some teams the option of bringing players back while others cannot. But for now, keeping each of the 32 teams’ staffs operating in a virtual capacity ensures fairness.
Social-distancing measures may still create a problem for teams to hold workouts, given the number of players and coaches involved and the in-between-whistles requirements of the sport. But some of the country’s marquee sports states making plans to move forward represents a good sign for the time being.
The changes proposed to the NFL’s hiring procedure will still be discussed at the virtual owners meetings Tuesday, but the league unveiled significant adjustments to its Rooney Rule on Monday.
Going forward, teams must interview at least two external minority candidates for head coaching positions, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). This is up from the league mandating one such interview for each HC job. Additionally, teams must interview at least one minority candidate for coordinator jobs, Pelissero adds.
In addition to the changes to the rule pertaining to coaching staffs, the league will tweak its hiring procedure for front offices. Franchises must open their senior-level executive jobs — including team president positions — to minority and/or female candidates (Twitter link via Pelissero). The league office must abide by this change as well for its senior-level openings. This will likely clear paths for more women breaking into executive positions.
Tuesday, the owners will vote on a controversial measure that would incentivize teams hiring minority candidates by bettering their draft positions. But today’s changes still mark a major adjustment to the Rooney Rule, which has been in place since 2003. The GM part of the rule has existed since 2009. Monday’s changes did not require owner approval.
For coordinator searches, this will create more avenues for minority candidates. White coaches dominate the current offensive coordinator landscape, with only two minorities (the Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy and the Buccaneers’ Byron Leftwich) holding OC gigs. Over the past three years,
While the draft-related proposals may have longer odds to pass, NBC Sports’ Peter King expects the measure to prevent teams from blocking position coaches to interview for coordinator jobs to pass. This would open the door to teams losing more position coaches from their staffs but also lead to upward mobility.
The NFL has received criticism for several years; it’s intensified after the past three hiring periods. Twenty HC openings emerged since 2018; only three went to minority candidates. Mandating two minority prospects interview would ensure more meetings take place, thus lengthening teams’ hiring processes in most cases. Currently, four HCs (Mike Tomlin, Anthony Lynn, Brian Flores and Ron Rivera) are minorities. Meanwhile, the league has just two GMs of color (Chris Grier, Andrew Berry).
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that pro sports will be permitted to resume May 31, per Anna Tinsley of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). This is contingent on no fans being present, however.
Texas follows Florida and Arizona in green-lighting sports to return. Texas obviously houses two NFL teams, but only the Texans hold training camp in the state. But with the Cowboys’ usual Oxnard, Calif., camp looking unlikely to be green-lit this year, Texas’ longest-tenured NFL franchise would have a better chance of holding camp in-state.
Some in the Cowboys organization view an Oxnard camp as a remote possibility, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). Holding camp at their Frisco, Texas, facility would be Plan B. With several teams potentially looking for sites to hold training camp due to COVID-19 restrictions, Texas could serve as a landing spot for non-Texas-headquartered teams.
The NFL announced teams can have various staffers report to facilities beginning Tuesday, but coaches and non-injured players remain barred from facilities.
The Ravens hope to hold their training camp at their team facility but will consider relocating due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Several teams have joined the Ravens in discussing relocation measures. Although Maryland lifted its stay-at-home order Friday, it marks an early phase of a gradual reopening plan. Gatherings of more than 10 people will remain restricted, per Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
“We’ll consider all options,” Ravens president Dick Cass said, via the Baltimore Sun’s Jonas Shaffer. “I think when we think about the option of trying to move our training camp outside Maryland, we don’t like that option. We think that we can conduct training camp safely in Maryland. We know that our building will be absolutely pristine, and I think the safest place to conduct our training camp will be in Maryland, at our facility.
“But if circumstances don’t allow that, we will explore the options that are available to us. We have to.”
Cass does not expect Ravens players at the team facility until training camp. Last week, the NFL announced its first phase in what it hopes will be a successful reopening. Certain staffers may return to team facilities in states where no stay-at-home order exists, but coaches and non-injured players remain barred from team headquarters. In addition to teams’ 90-man rosters being present at training camp, dozens of additional coaches and other personnel are on hand for camp in a normal year. But social-distancing measures will make holding camp a challenge for teams. For some in states more affected by the coronavirus, relocations may be imminent.
The Ravens have never held a training camp outside of Maryland. They have convened each summer at their facility in Owings Mills since 2011. In the franchise’s first 15 years, McDaniel College in Westminster served as the camp site.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown have offset language in their contracts, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. So far, they’re the only two first-round picks to have their deals in place, so that’s an indication most of the Top 32 will follow suit. 
Rookie contracts for NFL draft picks are cut-and-dry, for the most part, thanks to the slotting system. However, offset language is usually the biggest barrier to an agreement. If a player with offset language is released midway through the contract and signs elsewhere, the original team is only on the hook for the difference in salary between the two deals. Without offset language, the player can effectively collect two paychecks. Naturally, agents try to preserve that potential earning power while owners push back.
Breer expects just about every first-round pick to make the same concession, except for Jaguars first-round picks C.J. Henderson (No. 9 overall) and K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 20 overall). Historically, the Jaguars have not pushed offsets on players, but most teams do. It would only make sense for teams to insist on offsets, particularly following this truly unprecedented evaluation period. In essence, offset language serves as a bit of insurance against the possibility of a draft bust.
On the whole, the Dolphins are excited about Tagovailoa’s potential, despite his surgically-repaired hip and other past issues on his medical chart. In accordance with his slot at No. 5 overall, he’ll make just over $30MM over the course of a four-year deal. Brown, meanwhile, is set to make just under $24MM over the course of his four year deal with the Panthers. As first round picks, both deals will include fifth-year options. They’ll also come with a bit of extra protection, thanks to the offset language included within.
Ed Oliver will continue to participate in the Bills’ offseason program, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). Meanwhile, the defensive lineman is facing charges for gun possession and driving while intoxicated following his Saturday night arrest. 
[RELATED: Bills’ Ed Oliver Arrested On Gun, DWI Charges]
The Bills plan to let the legal process take its course, Pelissero hears, though it’s not immediately clear how the league office will proceed. Ideally, the Bills would like to have last year’s No. 9 overall pick on the field in 2020. Oliver showed serious potential with five sacks in his rookie year and he’s slated to take on an even larger role now that Jordan Phillips is out of the picture.
Last year, Phillips led the team with 9.5 sacks, but the Bills allowed him to walk in free agency knowing that Oliver could keep the pressure on. If Oliver’s availability is in doubt, the Bills may have to explore some out-of-house options for the front seven. For now, they’re projected to start Oliver, Mario Addison, Star Lotulelei, and Jerry Hughes on the front four. Meanwhile, they’ve got Quinton Jefferson, Vernon Butler, and Harrison Phillips among their backup options for the interior.
In other Bills news, GM Brandon Beane says he did not have any interest in a Sammy Watkins reunion this year. Watkins’ account may be slightly different, but in any case, the Bills are mostly set at wide receiver now that they have former Vikings superstar Stefon Diggs on board.
Details on a couple of recent NFL deals (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates unless otherwise specified):
A look back at some of the NFL’s biggest stories from the past week:
Giants’ DeAndre Baker, Seahawks’ Quinton Dunbar Arrested For Armed Robbery: Baker and Dunbar, two high-profile cornerbacks, were allegedly involved in a disturbing incident at an illegal dice game on the evening of May 13. According to the arrest warrants, Baker held participants at gunpoint while Dunbar looted them. Further, Baker allegedly directed a third man to shoot someone who entered the party in the midst of the robbery, though no shots were fired. Both players surrendered to police over the weekend and have been released on bond. They are both facing four counts of armed robbery with a firearm, and Baker is facing an additional four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.
Bills’ Ed Oliver Arrested On Gun, DWI Charges: The crime blotter was not kind to the NFL this week. In addition to the Baker and Dunbar allegations — and the felony charges that Redskins WR Cody Latimer is facing — Oliver, the No. 9 overall pick of the 2019 draft, was arrested on Saturday night. A Houston citizen observed Oliver driving dangerously, which prompted police to pull him over. When they did so, they noticed an open beer container and a pistol, and Oliver failed a field sobriety test. The Buffalo D-lineman, who turned in a promising rookie campaign and who looked primed for a 2020 breakout, will forfeit his remaining $6.8MM in guarantees if he is suspended under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Team Facilities Allowed To Reopen: The league took a small but important step in its efforts to return to normalcy in the wake of COVID-19. Teams are permitted to reopen their facilities on Tuesday, May 19, provided that the state those facilities are in is not imposing lockdown measures. Players undergoing medical treatment are permitted to be at team sites, but otherwise, no players or coaches are allowed to be at facilities at this time. That will probably remain the case until all states have relaxed restrictions or until teams find alternate solutions. Certain clubs are already exploring out-of-state options for training camp, and states like Florida and Arizona may end up playing a key role in that regard. Despite some promising developments, the league is preparing for a major financial hit and perhaps a decrease in the 2021 salary cap.
Changes To The Rooney Rule May Be Forthcoming: In its efforts to promote fairness in the hiring process for minority coaches and executives, the league is considering drastic changes to the Rooney Rule. Part of those changes would see certain draft incentives for teams that hire minorities for prominent coaching/front office positions, and even teams that lose a minority coach or exec to another club would stand to receive a compensatory draft pick. Additionally, the proposed changes would scrap a team’s rights to block its assistant coaches from taking interviews for other coordinator jobs between the end of the regular season and March 1. A vote on the proposal, which many regard as a well-meaning but ultimately short-sighted gambit, will take place soon.
Aaron Rodgers Discusses His Future: After the Packers made the surprising decision to trade up for Utah State QB Jordan Love in the first round of this year’s draft, most fans and pundits knew that Rodgers would not be happy that the team — which advanced to the NFC Championship Game in 2019 — invested so heavily in his potential replacement instead of a weapon that would aid in a 2020 Super Bowl run. And Rodgers concedes that he was not thrilled about the decision, and he also noted that it may not be feasible for him to finish his career with the Packers. From a salary cap perspective, it makes the most sense for Green Bay to move on from the two-time MVP after the 2021 season if Love is ready, but the timeline is always subject to change.
The Colts gave QB Philip Rivers a one-year, $25MM deal this offseason in the hopes that Rivers’ familiarity with Indy’s offensive system and a strong O-line will allow the 38-year-old to recapture some of his former magic. And if he does, look for the team to bring Rivers back in 2021.
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Colts head coach Frank Reich told reporters, including Mike Chappell of CBS 4, that he fully anticipates a multi-year relationship with Rivers (Twitter link). That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that Reich championed the Rivers signing and has repeatedly said that he has no concerns about the eight-time Pro Bowler’s abilities at this point in his career. Plus, Rivers himself has stated that he wants to play for two more seasons, so if he performs well in 2020, it stands to reason that both sides would want to run it back the following year.
On the other hand, the Colts have also said that they still see 2019 starter and current QB2 Jacoby Brissett as a potential long-term answer, but if the team re-signs Rivers in 2021, Brissett — who is entering the last year of his current deal — will almost certainly seek greener pastures elsewhere. Indianapolis also selected Washington QB Jacob Eason in the fourth round of this year’s draft, and he could take over as Rivers’ backup next season if Brissett leaves.
Of course, this may all be a moot point. There is understandably plenty of concern about how Rivers will play this year given his difficult 2019 campaign, and though playing behind a terrific O-line will help, not all of Rivers’ struggles last season can be attributed to the Chargers’ comparatively weak offensive front. If Rivers looks more like the 2019 version of himself than the 2018 edition, then Brissett and Eason could both become starting options, and the Colts could also look for a first-round signal-caller.
Reich, however, does not expect that to happen and fully believes Rivers’ end-of-career stint in Indianapolis will cover at least two seasons.