Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive
The NFL is determined to play the 2020 season despite the spike in COVID-19 cases across the country and the potential for billions in lost revenue. But as the NFL Players Association told agents on a conference call Monday, they're still trying to figure out exactly how to do it while keeping everyone safe.
That's what several agents got from the call with NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, NFLPA medical director Thom Mayer and NFLPA president J.C. Tretter. The union outlined some plans in the 45-minute call, like testing players three times per week once they return to the facility. But they told agents most of the protocols are a work in progress, and they expect to work with the NFL to figure them out in the next 30 days.
"There's just so much that they don't know," an agent who was on the call told SNY. "They're going to play and they'll do what they can to keep everyone healthy, but they just don't know how it's all going to work."
There are many reasons for that, as the NFLPA leaders addressed on the call, from the changing science around the coronavirus, to the various ways local governments are handling the pandemic, to the alarming spike in virus rates in 18 states - some of which are seeing record numbers of hospitalizations. That includes Texas, which is notable since several members of the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys -- including Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott -- have tested positive for the virus, according to the NFL Network.
"This is a terrible virus and it's not going away," one agent said, when asked to summarize the NFLPA message. "We have to figure out a way to live with it and manage it if we want to play.
"And they clearly want to play."
As local restrictions have eased and the NFL has slowly returned to business, the league has taken steps over the last few weeks to keep its personnel safe, including only recently re-opening team facilities and only to a fraction of team employees. And there are strict guidelines in place for those returning employees, including maintaining social distancing and always wearing a mask inside the buildings.
But other than the need to space out lockers in the locker room, little has been revealed about what will happen when players return, which is scheduled to happen on July 22 when the Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers could become the first NFL teams to open camp this summer (the Giants and Jets are scheduled to open on July 28). All Smith revealed was that testing would be frequent and that any player who tests positive would have to be quarantined. Mayer also said that he is certain that saliva tests for COVID-19 will be readily available for the start of camp.
Video: FNNY: What will the 2020 NFL preseason look like?
As for how long a player who tests positive would have to be quarantined, and what would happen to other players or personnel he comes in contact with, that is apparently to be determined. They also need to decide on guidelines for team meetings, workouts and even on-field activities. It's also unclear what will happen with "at risk" players, such as those with underlying medical conditions, or -- as Smith noted on the call, according to one agent -- players whose body mass index (BMI) may qualify them as obese.
"One thing he was clear about was that no one should assume that just because these are elite athletes that they're somehow safe," one agent said. "That's just not how this virus works."
There are other issues with the NFL's plan to play, too, such as what happens if the much-feared second wave of the virus hits and some areas of the country are forced to impose restrictions again. There are also concerns about roster sizes and whether teams could have a "taxi squad" of players available in case someone tests positive. All of that still needs to be determined (and negotiated), too.
And, though not nearly as important as everyone's health, there are financial issues to address. Smith told the agents he was estimating a $3 billion loss in revenue for the NFL if it had to play the 2020 season with no fans in the stands, according to people on the call. And since the annual salary cap is tied to revenue, that could lead to a reduction in the cap for 2021.
Smith said that while the NFL and NFLPA have discussed that possibility, they haven't begun any serious negotiations. Several agents have told SNY that the easy and likely solution would be to borrow against future salary caps to make sure that the 2021 cap doesn't drop -- which would be disastrous not only for the '21 free agent class, but for teams that would have to cut players and salaries just to stay under if the cap is lowered.
That "borrowing" makes sense considering the bleak economic outlook, and the fact that the NFL is expecting a revenue windfall when their current TV deals expire in 2022.