It’s going to be a very unusual process, with teams not allowed to host players on visits and other restrictions, but it sounds like free agency is going to happen as originally planned. A source told Josina Anderson of ESPN that the league year will officially not be pushed back (Twitter link).
In a tweet, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com provided more insight into the thinking behind the scenes. A source told Schefter that the NFL says the NFLPA was unwilling to to push back the league year. The NFLPA’s reasoning was that everything could be done remotely and that the COVID-19 crisis could get worse before it gets better, so it made the most sense to do free agency now.
Leading up to the weekend it began to look like things would be pushed back, with Saints head coach Sean Payton saying as much. The NFLPA then voted to approve the new CBA, which appears to have shifted the momentum back in the opposite direction. It looks like everything will start on time, although it’s possible things move slower than usual as teams might be a little more cautious with their spending given the uncertain circumstances.
Some teams had raised concerns about handing out long-term contracts without their medical staffs being able to examine players in person. Had the league year been pushed it would’ve had a significant impact on players, and not just on those slated to become free agents. Many players have roster bonuses in their contract tied to the start of the new league year, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network pointed out in a tweet.
Those guys would’ve had to wait perhaps indefinitely to get paid, and as Pelissero notes in his thread, some payments are north of $10MM. For example, Rams quarterback Jared Goff is due a whopping $21MM in the first week of the 2020 league year, so obviously this is good news for him.
this is the right move. will save a lot of troubles down the road.