Several Teams Exploring Out-Of-State Training Camps

Only two teams left their home state for training camp last year. That number may increase dramatically in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted several teams to discuss moving their camp sites out of state, Albert Breer of SI.com reports.

Many teams’ explorations about leaving their home states for camp have progressed, per Breer. A number of states’ coronavirus-induced restrictions preventing necessary conditions to hold a training camp are at the root of this, with teams stationed in the northeast and on the West Coast likely being the ones preparing contingency plans.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said (via Colleen Shalby of the Los Angeles Times) the county’s stay-at-home orders were certain to extend for another three months. While the Rams and Chargers’ facilities respectively reside in Ventura and Orange County, having adjacent L.A. County set to increase its lockdown does not paint a promising picture the neighboring counties will be open fully in time for camps. The Rams and Bolts’ under-construction stadium (SoFi Stadium), however, is located in L.A. County.

The Rams, Chargers, 49ers and Cowboys hold camp in California, with the latter’s camp site being in Oxnard (Ventura County). The Chargers’ Costa Mesa facility is located in Orange County. States like New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington could also be classified as locales that may make holding a camp untenable by late July, Breer adds. Altogether, that would force more than a fourth of the league to consider holding camp in another state.

Teams carry 90-man rosters in training camp. Couple those with the dozens of coaches per franchise, along with dozens of additional personnel per squad, and many teams may well run into trouble if they attempt to hold training camp in their respective home states come July. All teams are currently going through virtual offseasons, but some play in states with looser restrictions.

As of now, the NFL prevents any team from gathering at its facility until all 50 states’ lockdown measures have ceased. But the league, in announcing a potential change to this policy last week, may be preparing to allow teams to gather at their respective headquarters fairly soon. This would leave several teams — those in states with stricter guidelines — in limbo. This could be where training camp relocations come in.