The NFL has informed teams that there will be no in-person minicamps in June, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Instead, the league has extended its “virtual” offseason activities period through June 26.
This was the expected move as the league aims to exercise caution with a gradual phase-by-phase approach to the offseason. Coaches have been permitted to return to team facilities in states, counties, and cities where that’s allowed, though as of last Friday, less than half of the league’s staffs came to the office.
The league did discuss a scenario in which rookies and newly acquired veterans could return to team facilities before 6/26, but it’s not clear if that’s still in play. When players are given the greenlight for in-person activities, they’ll be required to follow a long list of safety protocols. Teams will reconfigure locker rooms to keep players roughly 6 feet apart, disinfect equipment after each game, and have their players wear masks, unless they get in the way of “athletic activities.”
The NFL may also shorten the preseason, with two exhibition games rather than the typical four-game slate. Still, things are looking up for the NFL as the country continues to relax restrictions. On Tuesday, New Jersey nixed its stay-at-home orders, leaving California, Tennessee, and Oregon as the final states sticking to a regional reopening plan.
This is fine…..everything is fine…..