As other professional leagues hold steady in pause mode while they do their part in trying to flatten the curve of COVID-19, the NFL is planning to roll on with business as usual.
It’s a bit of a surprise.
Multiple people across the league now are anticipating that the start of the league year will not be moved and it will start on time, per sources. There still are ongoing conversations, and it still could change, but there is a different tone from teams as if it is happening now.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2020
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that there is an anticipation in league circles that the new league year will not be moved back, despite the state of things.
UPDATE: IT WILL!
Now official. NFL sent memo to teams, informing them: Negotiation window noon tomorrow. League year weds. Franchise designation ends tomorrow at noon. Official.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2020
Here we go:
▫️ Monday, 11:59 AM EST: Deadline to apply the franchise or transition tag
▫️Monday, Noon EST: Legal tampering window opens
▫️ Wednesday, 4 PM EST: Free agency officially begins. All teams must be under the $198.2M salary cap— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 15, 2020
The rest of our original post is as follows:
If that’s the case, then free agency will begin as scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Nothing is official, and Schefter notes things can still change as ongoing conversations could put different plans into action. But as of now, the vibe is that things will operate as planned. That means the “legal tampering” negotiation period will open, as scheduled, at 11 a.m. CT on Monday, too.
It is a bit unsettling to think about the NFL power through while the country is handling a serious pandemic issue. But because free agency isn’t something that occurs in an arena with crowds of thousands and deals can be agreed upon without personal visits, it’s not inconceivable for the NFL schedule to go on as planned.
We’ll continue to monitor the situation, as things could change at any time in the near future. But in a moment where there is so much uncertainty, I guess at least it is nice to have a little light distraction in the NFL.