***OFFICIAL*** NFL 2020 Season News Thread (COVID-19 Edition)

Penny Traitor

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Players react to NFL reportedly proposing an escrow for player salary during 2020 season

While the NFL is an extremely lucrative business, it is not immune to the effect of COVID-19 and its impact on the economy. While the league is still hoping to have a 2020 season, the NFL is preparing for the possibility of having no fans in attendance during games. That would result in a significant loss of revenue, as NFL teams routinely play in front of sellout crowds. With the projected start of training camp three weeks away, the league is already looking at ways to save money during the 2020 season. On Tuesday, the NFLPA informed its board of representatives that the NFL proposed 35% of player salaries be held in escrow to help manage costs during the 2020 season, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Two of the league's more prominent players quickly responded to the report. Michael Thomas, the New Orleans Saints' All-Pro receiver, said that players would "sit out" before they would agree to the NFL's reported proposal.

"Lol everyone will sit out and not play until they get their stuff together before we do this"

Bills receiver Stefon Diggs sent out a series of tweets Tuesday night shortly after the NFL's proposal went public. The proposal, from Diggs' perspective, has added to the overall uncertainty that is the 2020 season.

"I miss football … I love football … with all of me … But there's so many unanswered questions with this upcoming season. I'd be lying if I said I was comfortable starting back up. I've been training my butt off just trying to stay ready and prepared. I've never played a game with zero fans in the stands. Even in little league we at least had parents and other family members … this will be weird if it happens."

Given the current uptick in COVID-19 cases across the country, it is unclear whether or not football will actually take place this fall. As alluded to above, it is still the league's intention to start training camp on time, albeit with a reduced preseason. The regular season is also slated to start on time, even though it may or may not include fans in attendance. All of this can change, however, depending on the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and whether or not it can dissipate over the next several weeks.

But if the NFL can play in 2020, it's clear that, based on Thomas' reaction, players will not want to play at a discounted rate, especially given the health risks associated with playing football during a pandemic.
 

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Report: NFL is 'very hesitant' to allow players to opt out of 2020 season

Despite the growing number of positive COVID-19 cases around the nation, the National Football league is determined to make a go of the 2020 season.

The league has announced training camps will start at the end of the month although the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association have yet to finalize the safety protocols or agree to the number of games to be played this preseason.

But with the virus spreading rapidly and camp just a few weeks away, the NFL has a new snag to deal with – possible player opt-outs.

NFLPA Vice President Sam Acho recently discussed the impending issue on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

“The league is very hesitant to have any player opt out,” Acho said via Pro Football Talk. “Their position is if the player doesn’t want to go to training camp, well that’s their decision. Obviously, fines could take a player and you could lose your starting spot, all those things could take place.

“The NFL as a league is trying to keep that from happening.”

NFL players are now looking to other sports leagues where athletes and coaches have opted out of the season due to very real safety concerns for themselves and their families and wondering why professional football players should be treated any differently.

The league now has just three weeks to iron out the details ahead of the start of training camps on July 28.
 

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NFL, players still at odds over COVID-19 testing, preseason schedule, money

The haggling continues as NFL owners and the players union try to figure out the best way to stage a football season despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Owners and NFL Players Association officials already are at odds over the frequency of testing for the coronavirus and whether to hold even an abbreviated preseason. Then on Tuesday, the union informed its board of representatives that the NFL had proposed holding 35% of player salaries in escrow to help deal with potential revenue loss during a COVID-19 impacted season, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the ongoing talks.

The players are not in favor of such a proposal, and many of them voiced their displeasure on social media Tuesday evening. Some of them pointed out that by playing, they actually are subjecting themselves and their families to greater risks.

NFLPA leaders understand that the possibility of having to play a season without fans in attendance will significantly impact the league financially. And that could impact future salary caps. However, the players union would prefer to essentially borrow from future salary caps, spreading the reduction out over the life of the collective bargaining agreement (2020 to 2030).

The league and player leaders continue to have ongoing discussions.

Training camps are still scheduled to kick off July 28 although the NFL and NFLPA have yet to finalize all of the protocol related to testing and how teams will handle potential coronavirus breakouts at their facilities.

The joint medical committee formed by the NFL and NFLPA recommended a longer than usual acclimation period to help players minimize risk of injury because of the absence of an offseason conditioning program. The recommendation was roughly 48 days.

To help compensate for lost time, the NFL proposed requiring players to report for training camp early, but the union – pointing out that such a request violates the CBA -- refused. So while training camps are scheduled to start on time, the owners proposed shortening the preseason from four games to two to help give players more time to acclimate. (Holding two preseason games would enable the owners to still bring in revenue from broadcast contracts even if fans aren’t in attendance). But because that time window is still less than the acclimation window recommended by the joint committee, the NFLPA would like to cancel all preseason games rather than rushing the process and also subjecting players to unnecessary travel-related risks to the coronavirus for games that don’t count.

NFLPA president and Cleveland Browns center J.C. Tretter on Tuesday in a column on the union's website called on the league to do a better job of prioritizing player safety during the pandemic

"Like many other industries, football’s resistance to change is based on the belief that the best way to run things is the way we’ve always run things," Tretter wrote. "That pervasive thought process will stop this season in its tracks. ... Every decision this year that prioritizes normalcy over innovation, custom over science or even football over health, significantly reduces our chances of completing the full season."
 

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NEWSFLASH: Season will be shortened or cancelled

NFL reportedly intends to give all players the choice to sit out the entire 2020 season


As the calendar continues to inch closer to the NFL regular season, the league is still trying to figure out how to solve multiple problems related to the coronavirus pandemic, and one of the biggest issues right now is whether players will be giving the option of sitting out the season if they don't feel comfortable putting their health at risk.

After several weeks of negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA, it appears the two sides have come to an agreement on the idea of letting players opt out. According to NFL.com, the league and the union intend to give the players the option to sit out, which is potentially huge because it means that any player on any team could choose to skip the 2020 season without facing any sort of penalty.

The opt-out could add an interesting twist to the season, especially if someone's starting quarterback decides not to play.

Under the plan developed by the NFL and NFLPA, there really wouldn't be any strict guidelines with the opt-out. Any player who has a pre-existing condition would be allowed to sit out. Players who have family members with pre-existing conditions would be allowed to sit out. Also, any player who has any concerns about playing during a pandemic would also be allowed to sit out, which would open the door for pretty much any player to sit out the season.

Before the opt-out goes into effect, several things still have to be figured out. One big one is when players would have to opt out by. According to NFL.com, general managers around the league were told this week that the opt-out will come with a hard deadline. Although the date for that deadline hasn't been set, any player who wants to sit out 2020 would have to declare themselves out before the deadline.

The other big question is how teams will handle the contract of any player who decides to sit out. One option would be to have the contract basically stay the same with everything moving forward one year -- but no decisions have been made.

The NFL and NFLPA are also currently negotiating the protocols that players will have to follow at training camp and during the preseason, and you can read more about that by clicking here. One big thing the NFLPA is hoping to get is the cancellation of the entire preseason.

As for other coronavirus-related moves, the NFL has announced several changes over the past few weeks regarding the 2020 season. The biggest move was the cancellation of half the preseason. As for the regular season, the league is still reportedly optimistic that the 2020 season will be able to start on time, despite the recent rash of new COVID-19 cases around the country

From the fans' perspective, things will also have a much different look. For one, stadiums won't be filled to capacity. The top six to eight rows in every stadium will be blocked off with a tarp, and some teams, like the Ravens, have already announced that their stadium will be limited to 14,000 fans. The league is also considering the possibility of requiring fans to sign a waiver if they want to attend a game.
 

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NFL reportedly intends to give all players the choice to sit out the entire 2020 season


As the calendar continues to inch closer to the NFL regular season, the league is still trying to figure out how to solve multiple problems related to the coronavirus pandemic, and one of the biggest issues right now is whether players will be giving the option of sitting out the season if they don't feel comfortable putting their health at risk.

After several weeks of negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA, it appears the two sides have come to an agreement on the idea of letting players opt out. According to NFL.com, the league and the union intend to give the players the option to sit out, which is potentially huge because it means that any player on any team could choose to skip the 2020 season without facing any sort of penalty.

The opt-out could add an interesting twist to the season, especially if someone's starting quarterback decides not to play.

Under the plan developed by the NFL and NFLPA, there really wouldn't be any strict guidelines with the opt-out. Any player who has a pre-existing condition would be allowed to sit out. Players who have family members with pre-existing conditions would be allowed to sit out. Also, any player who has any concerns about playing during a pandemic would also be allowed to sit out, which would open the door for pretty much any player to sit out the season.

Before the opt-out goes into effect, several things still have to be figured out. One big one is when players would have to opt out by. According to NFL.com, general managers around the league were told this week that the opt-out will come with a hard deadline. Although the date for that deadline hasn't been set, any player who wants to sit out 2020 would have to declare themselves out before the deadline.

The other big question is how teams will handle the contract of any player who decides to sit out. One option would be to have the contract basically stay the same with everything moving forward one year -- but no decisions have been made.

The NFL and NFLPA are also currently negotiating the protocols that players will have to follow at training camp and during the preseason, and you can read more about that by clicking here. One big thing the NFLPA is hoping to get is the cancellation of the entire preseason.

As for other coronavirus-related moves, the NFL has announced several changes over the past few weeks regarding the 2020 season. The biggest move was the cancellation of half the preseason. As for the regular season, the league is still reportedly optimistic that the 2020 season will be able to start on time, despite the recent rash of new COVID-19 cases around the country

From the fans' perspective, things will also have a much different look. For one, stadiums won't be filled to capacity. The top six to eight rows in every stadium will be blocked off with a tarp, and some teams, like the Ravens, have already announced that their stadium will be limited to 14,000 fans. The league is also considering the possibility of requiring fans to sign a waiver if they want to attend a game.

I would imagine they would need to opt our before the first league game, negating the vast majority of their season pay. How they handled the contracts would be extremely interesting.............what about guys on a rookie contract? If Mitch "opted out" when he came back next year would he be a FA or still have one year remaining on his rookie contract? Pro-rated signing bonus's and cap would be another interesting aspect. If Aaron Rodgers "opts out" woudl his 2020 salary that he didn't get paid increase the Packers 2020 cap, allowing them to roll that over to 2021?

When you say the NFLPA wants the pre-season cancelled, do you mean the pre-season games, or training camp too?

I am trying to imagine what might happen if both College football and the NFL seasons are cancelled. Can you imagine the 2021 Draft? What would be the draft order? You would have literally two rookie class's coming in on the same year, and vets would be getting dropped like hot potatoes because of the Cap drop. It would change the entire landscape of the NFL.
 

Penny Traitor

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When you say the NFLPA wants the pre-season cancelled, do you mean the pre-season games, or training camp too?

Sounded to me like just the preseason games to avoid unnecessary travel/exposure for what amounts to televised scrimmage games.
 

Black Rainbow

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So Cutler sat out the 2nd half of the NFC Championship with a torn MCL, and it took a couple of years to live that down.

Could you imagine the backlash from this? From fans and teammates alike.

Khalil Mack, "nah I'm good." And opting out the whole sesson.
 
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nc0gnet0

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Sounded to me like just the preseason games to avoid unnecessary travel/exposure for what amounts to televised scrimmage games.

I could see that, on the other hand, 2 pre-season games might help by giving a trial run on their plan an iron out the flaws before the regular season kicked in.

I think the owners are negotiating this thing from the wrong side of the field. They should be proposing cancelling the season, and let the NFLPA bring proposals to the table on how to keep it going.
 

nc0gnet0

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So Cutler sat out the 2nd half of the NFC Championship and it took a couple of years to live that down.

Could you imagine the backlash from this? From fans and teammates alike.

Khalil Mack, "nah I'm good."
Would we ever see Tom Brady play again if the season was cancelled? Father time is a bitch, and he don't care about no dam pandemic.
 

Black Rainbow

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Single players being able to opt out of the season...if there were enough of them...it would probably be better to cancel the whole season. Like if 10% said "no thanks," wouldn't it be better to let them save face and cancel the season rather than expose the names of the guys opting out?

Or if 20 or so big names dropped out?
 

Penny Traitor

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Could you imagine the backlash from this?

It's already looking like the NFL used the last four months to do their best to pretend the 2020 season was indestructible, instead of forming any real plan.

I mean, this was a headline at ten this morning....


Then at two this afternoon....


This is going to be a fun filled few weeks.
 

nc0gnet0

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Single players being able to opt out of the season...if there were enough of them...it would probably be better to cancel the whole season. Like if 10% said "no thanks," wouldn't it be better to let them save face and cancel the season rather than expose the names of the guys opting out?

Or if 20 or so big names dropped out?


You do remember strike football, don't you? What would happen is only the Vets with a $$ nest egg would be opting out, making the 2020 season one of the longest pre-seasons ever.
 

nc0gnet0

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It's already looking like the NFL used the last four months to do their best to pretend the 2020 season was indestructible, instead of forming any real plan.

I mean, this was a headline at ten this morning....



Then at two this afternoon....



This is going to be a fun filled few weeks.

.

 

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