As could be expected, the NFLPA appears to be in favor of alternatives that would not involve players reporting to training camps earlier than scheduled. Most teams are set to report July 28, but NFL-NFLPA joint committee on health and safety have recommended extending the five-day acclimation period — implemented in this year’s CBA — significantly. However, an NFLPA source informed SI.com’s Albert Breer the union “would have no interest” in a scenario that features an early reporting date to make up for so much offseason time being missed. Some teams are in favor of having players report either one or two weeks early, Breer adds, but the league office has pushed back on the notion it would want players back early. This comes on the heels of minicamps being canceled.
The NFL and NFLPA have been discussing training camp scenarios for weeks, and the sides will need to hammer out an agreement before players are allowed to return to team facilities. However, the players have not yet proposed a report date that would differ from their new July 28 ETA, per Breer.
Here is the latest coming out of the ongoing NFL-NFLPA talks and the state of training camps amid COVID-19:
- Teams will be reporting to camp July 28, for the most part. But a few rosters will be back sooner. The Cowboys, Steelers, Chiefs and Texans will report earlier, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The Cowboys and Steelers are scheduled to play in this year’s Hall of Fame Game and will be the guinea pigs in this new reality, reporting July 22. With Chiefs-Texans being this year’s regular-season opener, each team will report July 25. These uniform dates mark a slight change from previous years, when teams would gradually report in late July since they were required to report 15 days before their first preseason game.
- A few numbers have been thrown out about how much a fan-less season would impact the league. The NFLPA’s latest estimate came in. Union executive director DeMaurice Smith said a season featuring games without fans would represent a loss greater than $3 billion, Breer tweets. An NFL.com report indicated losses could exceed $4 billion in this scenario, placing even greater importance on the league’s talks with the union regarding the navigation of the salary cap — which would be set for a significant reduction unless the parties come up with a solution.
- Shortening this year’s preseason schedule continues to surface as a rumored option as well.
I look forward to owners & the office saying ‘we can’t afford to raise the cap’ while watching non-players BANK, like K Shanahan, other staff, and GM’s.
Hasn’t Goodell already stated that the 2020 season is a one off abberation that shouldn’t impact long term growth? That seems to be his selling point to the networks to ensure another big contract commitment from them.
There aren’t enough asterisks to denote the dumpster fire that will be every sports league’s attempt at a 2020 season.
Is there really any reason to hold the HOF game? The ceremony is one thing, but I don’t think the Steelers/Cowboys will be especially disappointed without an extra preseason contest. Two weeks prior to authentic NFL action just seems too short of a rampup period