COVID-19 News & Rumors

NFLPA Recommends Canceling Preseason

We heard yesterday that the NFLPA might be pushing to cancel the preseason, and indeed, the union’s board of player reps have unanimously recommended that no preseason games be played, as Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). That decision was reached during last night’s call between the player reps and NFLPA medical director Thom Mayer, details of which can be found here.

As Albert Breer of SI.com notes, the preseason schedule was also discussed during today’s phone call, which was open to all players (Twitter link). The union has floated the following summer schedule, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter):

  • Three days of medical and equipment checks;
  • 21 days of strength and conditioning;
  • 10 days of unpadded practice; and
  • 14 days of practice, with a maximum of ten practice sessions, eight of which would be padded.

From there, the schedule would shift immediately to Week 1 of the regular season. And as Pelissero notes in a separate tweet, players would be divided into smaller groups during the strength and conditioning and unpadded practice portions of the schedule, which would buy an extra month of time before everyone would have to come together for the padded sessions.

Of course, the NFL has full authority over whether to schedule preseason games or not, and Graziano notes that it’s unclear whether the league will consider the union’s recommendation. As Breer points out in a separate tweet, teams would lose out on gate revenue — if fans are allowed in stands, which is a dubious proposition — and local TV money. Plus, the NFL Network usually sees its highest ratings in August, so cancelling the preseason slate altogether would be a tough pill to swallow.

COVID-19 Notes: Protocols, Fines, Opt-Outs

Last night, the NFLPA held a conference call with player reps and NFLPA medical director Thom Mayer to discuss safety protocols and other issues relating to how training camp and the season will proceed. Dan Graziano of ESPN.com has a comprehensive report on the call, and some of the most relevant highlights are as follows:

  • Mayer opened the call by updating everyone on the virus in general, with a reminder that African American males are especially susceptible and that false negatives are a legitimate concern. As such, any player that tests positive would need to test negative twice before being allowed to return to action.
  • Players could face fines for engaging in “reckless” behavior away from team facilities, such as eating out in restaurants and using ride-sharing services.
  • Players will not stay in hotels during training camp, but instead will commute from their homes each day.
  • Mayer provided updates on the development of face shields, though some on the call were opposed to the shields, believing that they would be detrimental to their vision and their breathing.
  • Some confusion was expressed as to why the league is trying to move forward at all given how dangerous COVID-19 is. Some unanswered questions that players want resolved include what will happen to their contracts if they elect not to play, what will happen to the 2021 salary cap, and what will happen if they initially agree to play but then grow uncomfortable as the season wears on.
  • Media access will be limited.
  • Most meetings will be conducted virtually.
  • The current plan is to test players and team personnel every other day during camp, but players are pushing for daily testing.

There is another call scheduled for today that will be open to all players, not just player reps. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, the league and the union need to quickly come to terms on what will essentially be a one-season labor agreement in order to preserve the 2020 campaign. If that does not happen, a “non-traditional” work stoppage could certainly be in the offing.

Florio’s sources say that players are expected to have the right to opt out of the 2020 season, and if they do so, they would be forfeiting their base salary but not their bonuses. They would also not face any fines. However, it is still unclear how many players would take avail themselves of their opt out rights and how many would press on.

Indeed, while some states have experienced a decline in positive tests, numbers across the country are still going up, which was not supposed to happen. In an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday (h/t Florio), Dr. Anthony Fauci opined that the disturbing resurgence of the pandemic has put the NFL season completely in flux.

COVID-19 Latest: Camp, Rosters, Fans

Updates on the NFL-coronavirus front keep emerging. Here is the latest on where the league stands in its effort to proceed amid the pandemic:

  • The NFL is expected to lower its roster limit from the 90-man number before training camp, but some are concerned about camps beginning on time. Some in the league are questioning if camps can begin July 28 because of the issues COVID-19 is causing, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes. Record case numbers have struck NFL states Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, with numerous other states also dealing with extensive difficulties nearly four months after the pandemic effectively shut down American sports. College football teams have seen rampant positive tests. The country’s present coronavirus state not improving rapidly would make NFL camps difficult.
  • As for what might happen if every team must cut players before camp, Mike Jones of USA Today notes a possibility exists of teams still rostering 90 players — which some in the NFLPA would prefer — but only taking a certain number to camp. This would seemingly create a reserve squad in the event higher-profile players test positive for COVID-19.
  • The NFL is not planning a universal attendance policy, and the league is considering asking fans to sign liability waivers to protect the league from COVID-19-generated lawsuits, Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic reports (subscription required). The people who attended President Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Okla., last month were required to sign liability waivers.
  • Numerous changes to the NFL’s calendar have occurred this year, and the league is operating under the impression it will not have locked-in protocols this season. “I absolutely expect that our protocols will change and will evolve as we go through the regular season based upon some of this new knowledge,” NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said, via the Associated Press. “That’s the nature of medical practice: that we’re always looking to improve based upon emerging knowledge and emerging data and those things will change.” The NFL has already issued a number of social-distancing directives, and the adjustments to its standard operating procedure indicate fans should be prepared for more changes.

Postponing 2021 Draft Not On Table?

Numerous positive COVID-19 tests among college football players have created doubt about the viability of the 2020 college football season. Several schools shut down football workouts. The Division I-FBS slate beginning on time is very much in doubt.

This uncertainty has caused some in the college football power structure to discuss a key matter with the NFL. Certain college football officials approached the NFL about the feasibility of moving the 2021 draft back, in the event the college football season must be delayed until spring, Dan Wolken of USA Today tweets. The NFL’s early-July stance on this matter, per Wolken: “No thanks.”

Coronavirus cases are rising in most states, with college football hotbeds like Florida and Texas being hit particularly hard in recent weeks. College football powers Clemson and LSU saw dozens of positive tests when players returned for non-mandatory workouts. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he would not allow college and high school football to take place in the state if case numbers continue to climb.

Power 5 conferences have yet to place a deadline on making changes to the 2020 season, but the commissioners of these leagues hope to have a universal plan — rather than individual conferences making decisions. The Pac-12 has discussed moving the season to the spring, commissioner Larry Scott said (via Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News).

I still want to be cautiously optimistic,” Scott said, “but if there’s no change in society’s response and behavior, which results in a quick flattening of the curve and a decrease in the spread of the virus, that would lead to a much more pessimistic view about our campuses being able to open and our ability to play college sports.”

Next year’s draft is scheduled to begin April 29 in Cleveland. Major college football taking place in the spring would throw the evaluation process off axis, and it would seem likely the NFL would consider changing its draft date if the college game postponed its schedule several months. The NFL used to hold its draft before the college season ended, but that practice stopped in the 1960s. The draft process has obviously transformed since, making the scenario of a draft occurring before college players’ seasons conclude less realistic.

NFL Expected To Reduce Camp Rosters

Another key step in the NFL’s preparations for training camp is expected to take place soon. The current line of thinking points to the league reducing offseason rosters from their 90-player limit, ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Adam Schefter report (via Twitter).

It is not certain how many roster spots will be eliminated, but Schefter notes “no one” expects teams to report to camp with 90-man rosters. The prospect of trimming offseason rosters to 75 or 80 players surfaced in NFLPA circles recently.

Teams can carry up to 90 players on their rosters through the preseason. They must cut down to 53 shortly after. Franchises formerly were required to make cuts down to 75 midway through the preseason and then further reduce their rosters before regular-season play. But a 90-to-53 cut represents the current setup. That is unlikely to be the case this year.

This will make matters more difficult for UDFAs. The virtual offseason already prevented rookies from onsite development, and teams may well be forced to waive players ahead of training camp. Naturally, the first cuts would be the less coveted free agents teams signed following the draft or players retained via reserve/futures contracts after last season’s conclusion.

However, this CBA increased practice squads from 10 to 12 players. And it looks like taxi squads will be further expanded because of the coronavirus. A recent report indicated 16-man P-squads were being considered, but Schefter notes that number could climb as high as 20. This would create more opportunities for players who would otherwise become camp cuts.

Reduced camp rosters will help amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but the NFL and NFLPA remain in discussions about how football will proceed during this historically unusual period. The NFL this week canceled the supplemental draft, and it became known the league wants to pare the preseason slate down to two games. The NFLPA may well be against playing any preseason contests. A reduced preseason would lessen the need for 90-player rosters, and with social-distancing guidelines released — with more directives likely coming soon — teams having fewer players would make adhering to these protocols easier.

NFLPA Pushing To Cancel Preseason? 

NFL owners are looking to shorten the preseason from four games to two. Meanwhile, some of the NFLPA’s leaders are wondering whether there should be any exhibition games played at all, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com hears (Twitter link).

Those opposed to preseason games argue that it’s an unnecessary risk. The games, after all, don’t count towards the standings. The league, meanwhile, believes that they can mitigate some of that risk and give extra lead time to teams by cutting the preseason in half.

Per the terms of the CBA, this isn’t a matter that’s up for negotiation. The NFL has the right to schedule up to four preseason games per year, making them the sole party in charge of the exhibition slate’s length. Still, because this is a matter of public safety, the NFLPA figures to have some pull. The two sides will chat on Thursday and Friday. After that, we should have a clearer picture of what’s to come.

For now, the league is planning to start training camps on July 28th. The NFL is hoping to bring rookies in for COVID-19 testing on July 19, Mike Florio of PFT hears, with conditioning starting on July 21. After that, the league is proposing conditioning and testing for veterans in the days that follow.

NFL To Cut Preseason Schedule In Half

The rumors of the NFL eliminating half its preseason slate produced action Wednesday afternoon. The league is planning to slash its preseason slate, according to Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).

This comes shortly after the league nixed the Hall of Fame Game. Now, teams’ August schedules will be trimmed from four games to two. This will open the door for the long-rumored acclimation period — which will allow for increased conditioning after the virtual offseason. This process will stand to help prevent some injuries players could sustain after spending the offseason working out on their own.

Weeks 1 and 4 will be cut, according to PFT (via Twitter). Every team’s two-game slate will feature one home game and one away tilt, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Instead of locking in every team’s Week 2 and Week 3 preseason opponents, the league is in favor of keeping short-travel games on the docket, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano tweets. The new schedule is expected to be released later this week.

Teams’ preseason openers will be played between Aug. 20-24, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports. This will give teams an extra week to prepare players amid the pandemic. This year’s preseason was scheduled to begin a bit later than usual, with the original schedule wrapping up Sept. 3. But instead of eliminating Weeks 1-2 from the preseason slate, the NFL will trim that Sept. 3 game. This will give teams more time in between the preseason and regular season.

Although the preseason has continued to mean less and less, with some teams opting to rest starters throughout, Wednesday’s decision will mean limited game action for rookies hoping to make impressions. The virtual offseason prevented young players from key onsite work, and a truncated preseason will reduce the opportunities they’ll have to stand out on film for other teams considering waiver claims. No joint practices will cut down on those chances as well.

Today’s news could well mean the end of the four-game preseason. The new CBA gives the NFL the option of transitioning to the 17-game regular-season schedule as soon as 2021. Considering the revenue that is at risk of being lost because of what could be a fanless season, it would not surprise if the league moved to 17 games as soon as possible. That format calls for a three-game preseason.

The actual games being canceled prove less significant than the overall decision, as it’s the latest major change to the NFL’s 2020 calendar. The league has thus far canceled pre-draft visits, prevented free agent visits, barred non-injured players from team facilities, made its draft a virtual event, did the same with its offseason program, canceled the Hall of Fame Game and did the same to the supplemental draft minutes ago. Nothing concrete has emerged regarding the regular season — beyond the elimination of the five international games — but the league has built in some contingencies in case the virus forces that to be altered.

NFL Cancels Supplemental Draft

The 2020 NFL Supplemental Draft officially been canceled, per a memo from the league office to all 32 teams. As Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link) explains, the CBA leaves the decision to the NFL. After discussions with the NFL Management Council Executive Committee, the league has opted against having one in 2020.

This marks the NFL’s latest concession to the ongoing pandemic. In June, the league 86’d the Hall Of Fame Game, the annual start to the NFL preseason in early August. Now, it has taken the supplemental event off of the calendar, even though it’s historically conducted remotely.

In existence for players whose eligibility statuses have changed in the offseason, the NFL opted against making this supplemental draft a game-changer amid the pandemic. The coronavirus has threatened the college football season, but the NFL nixed the idea of allowing potential 2021 draft prospects whose seasons run the risk of being postponed or canceled to enter the supplemental draft.

Players whose eligibility statuses changed this year will not be free agents, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). They would need to enter the league through the 2021 draft.

This cancellation does not move the needle too much, but it does add to a lengthy list of changes the NFL has made in 2020. Few players go in supplemental drafts. While the likes of Bernie Kosar, Cris Carter, Brian Bosworth and Rob Moore have gone in the summer draft, its relevance has faded in the modern game. No team has used a first-round supplemental pick since the Giants took Duke quarterback Dave Brown in 1992. Josh Gordon became most notable supplemental pick over the past decade, and only eight players were supplemental picks during the 2010s.

COVID-19 Latest: Preseason, Travel, Arizona

As the NFL continues to prepare for training camps amid COVID-19, news on how the league will operate once players return emerges frequently. Here is the latest on the virus-NFL front:

  • A four-week preseason slate looks like the less realistic scenario, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes (video link). The NFL-NFLPA talks have not progressed to the point the early portion of the preseason can be ruled out, but signs are pointing in that direction. In addition to gaining some time to further prepare for playing games during the pandemic, the NFL canceling part of the preseason may be vital for conditioning. A multi-week acclimation period would push full-on contact work into mid-August, thus delaying teams’ game action. Players are pushing for the ramp-up period, Garafolo adds (video link). This would stand to better protect them against injuries that would arise from being thrust into team action after a virtual offseason.
  • NFLPA president J.C. Tretter sent a letter to players underlining some of the risks they will take by playing this season. Among the bullet points: the Browns center warns of the players who could be at higher risk of developing severe complications if they were to contract the virus — those with asthma, those at higher weights, etc. Additionally, players want multiple companies to perform different kinds of testing — due to state testing regulations varying. This represents one of the many issues the NFL and NFLPA are discussing before players return to team facilities. Players are scheduled for a conference call Thursday.
  • Two-plus months before the regular season is scheduled to begin, teams are already making travel adjustments. Multiple teams plan to take the unusual step of traveling on game days, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. This does not indicate whether these plans will be in place throughout the season, with it being impractical for teams to make lengthy trips on game mornings. But teams even preparing to make day-of flights, to avoid hotel stays, is notable. Early returns do not point to players being on board (all Twitter links).
  • The Cardinals have some new hurdles to clear to host training camp. In light of coronavirus cases hitting record highs in Arizona — one of several states in which this is the case — Gov. Doug Ducey banned gatherings of 50 or more people. Ducey added that this policy is unlikely to affect sports — despite NFL training camps obviously housing far more than 50 people — but said attendance will be impacted (Twitter link via the Arizona Repulic’s Katherine Fitzgerald). Arizona was one of the first states to reopen and announce sports could return.

Reduction Of Preseason Rosters On Table

With training camps scheduled to begin in less than a month, teams are in the process of unprecedented preparation for players’ return to team facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The NFL and NFLPA remain in talks about how the new-look camps will proceed.

These discussions have included trimming roster sizes. Teams can carry up to 90 players on their rosters throughout the preseason, but USA Today’s Mike Jones notes that the prospect of reducing rosters to 75 or 80 players has surfaced in NFLPA circles recently (Twitter link).

This would be an interesting decision, since it would mean the union signing off on reduced job opportunities. But odds are stacked against UDFAs this year, with rookies set to be thrust into training camp action without the benefit of onsite offseason work. That would make the bottom-rung rookies’ tasks even more imposing. So would a reduced preseason, which continues to be rumored.

While Jones adds roster reductions are not a lock, because of the job-opportunity component, this is being considered for social-distancing purposes. The NFL sent out guidelines for teams regarding operations amid the coronavirus spread. Some of those centered on distancing. Teams are advised to prevent more than 15 players from being in weight rooms at once, and the league would prefer teams organize their locker rooms so that players are at least six feet apart from one another.

Adhering to these guidelines would be most difficult during training camp. Teams can only have 53-man active rosters during the regular season, but the new CBA expanded practice squads to 12. And discussions have begun on moving P-squads to 16 because of the potential availability crises the virus has created. Talks about how new protocols have encountered some hiccups, however, and many answers will be needed before teams report to camp.