The NFL will continue to have teams do classroom work in a virtual setting, and the league has opted against in-person minicamps in June.
NFL extends virtual offseason until June 26
On Thursday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network shared that the “NFL has notified teams the virtual period for offseason work will be extended through June 26, but there will be no in-person minicamps this month.”
Additionally, the NFL is giving teams the option to either extend their offseason programs for two more weeks, or discontinue after this week. Pelissero notes that “a bunch of teams” are doing that.
The NFL allowed coaches back at team facilities recently, but players are not expected to be arriving until training camp.
Will NFL training camps start on time?
The NFL has the benefit of time on its hands. Throughout the process as COVID-19 has spread through America, the NFL has had the luxury of being able to plan and wait.
At this time, all signs point to training camps starting on time. And this year, they will be kicking off in unison for the most part. Most of the teams will start training camps 47 days before their regular-season opener, while teams playing the first Monday Night Football games report 48 days before.
NFL preseason could be cut short
As the NFL continues to grapple with the best plan to combat the spread of COVID-19, a plan has emerged. Reportedly, the NFL and NFLPA are discussing a truncated preseason this summer — cutting it down to two games, rather than four.
The reason for this is to allow the NFL more time to “ramp-up” with proper protocols and procedures in place.
Players, of course, would be on board with this decision in any year — coronarivus or not.