NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Steelers optimistic season will be played on schedule, with fans in stands



The NFL is continuing to move forward with plans to play the full season on schedule with fans in the stadiums, and the Steelers say they’re optimistic it can be done.

The Steelers said on Monday that they think they can comply with local health officials’ recommendations while playing the season with fans at Heinz Field.

“We will continue to work with health officials around the state while following the proper protocols and guidelines by the CDC when preparing Heinz Field for the 2020 season,” the Steelers said in a statement to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “At this time, we remain optimistic we will play our home games as scheduled in front of our fans with the understanding that we will follow the NFL and government regulations to maintain the safety of our fans, players and staff.”

Although the league has decided not to allow any fans in the first six to eight rows of any stadium, there have otherwise been no restrictions announced about how many fans can attend games and how far apart they must remain. It seems likely that some limits will be placed on attendance to promote social distancing, but at the moment, teams are plowing ahead with the idea that they’ll be able to make it work.

NBC

 

NFLPA president issues important reminder as planning for 2020 season continues



Before the NFL can finalize its plans for 2020, the NFL Players Association must agree to those plans. Whether part of an orchestrated P.R. campaign or not, fans will choose sides if it appears that the league and union can’t agree on one or more issues.

And so the NFLPA wisely is getting ahead of that potential battle by reminding its players — and anyone else — of the realities of the situation. A message posted by NFLPA president and Browns center JC Tretter addresses several key dynamics regarding the situation, while also making it clear that the process of balancing the wishes of the teams with the rights of the players may not go as smoothly as some had assumed.

“Any time there is uncertainty, a tough issue or even when we are at odds with the NFL, a few common narratives arise from the media and public,” Tretter writes. “Professional athletes in every sport have to regularly fend off criticism that our profession should be considered less of a job and that we shouldn’t fight for protections and benefits. As we begin our fight for necessary COVID-19 protections, these recycled misconceptions will be used to undermine the strength of our union and the legitimacy of your career.”

Tretter then addresses several of the misconceptions, beginning with a line that the Commissioner has rattled off from time to time in the past: “Playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right.”

“It’s neither,” Tretter explains. “It’s your job. It is a highly sought-after job and a childhood dream, but it is a job, nonetheless. You worked your ass off to earn this job, and you have to continue to work your ass off to keep it. Do not allow anyone to undermine the work you put in day after day to earn a spot in this profession. The attempt to frame your occupation as a ‘privilege’ is a way to make you feel like you should be happy with whatever you get versus exercising your right to fight for more protections and benefits.”

Next, Tretter tackles the argument that players should play “for the love of the game,” and nothing more.

“I love what I do,” Tretter says. “I know a lot of my peers love what they do, too. There are people in all different professions who love what they do. Being passionate about your job shouldn’t prevent you from seeking better pay, benefits and work rules from your employer. Our careers are short and painful. Like every other worker, we should always work to maximize what we get for our services and realize our full value.”

Next comes a response to this plea: “Just go play! You’re young and healthy. You will all be fine. We need sports back.”

“We are not invincible, and as recent reports have shown, we certainly aren’t immune to this virus,” Tretter writes. “Underlying conditions like high BMI, asthma, and sleep apnea are all associated with a higher risk of developing severe symptoms and complications when infected with COVID-19. Those conditions are widespread across the league. NFL players are humans — some with immuno-compromised family members or live-in elderly parents. Trust me: We want to play football. But as a union, our most important job is keep our players safe and alive. The NFLPA will fight for our most at-risk players and their families.”

Then, Tretter addresses the argument that NFL players make too much money, with an explanation that should put that argument to bed forever.

“As employees of NFL teams, we put a product on the field that brings in billions of dollars,” Tretter observes. “The NFLPA collectively bargained for a percentage of that revenue. When the NFL and NFLPA split up billions of dollars, that leaves players in a position to make life-changing money. If less money was allocated to players, NFL owners would not turn around and gift the extra revenue to pay teachers, nurses, or other workers more money. The shaming of players (workers) to take less compensation will only further line the billionaire owners’ pockets.”

Finally, Tretter takes on the notion that, because other Americans have to return to work during the pandemic, football players should, too.

“It is the responsibility of the employer to provide a safe work environment,” Tretter says. “I encourage all workers to hold their employers accountable to high standards. More so than any other sport, the game of football is the perfect storm for virus transmission. There are protections, both short and long term, that must be agreed upon before we can safely return to work. The NFLPA will be diligent as we demand that the NFL provide us the safest workplace possible. . . . Our individual workplaces may be different, but we should support our fellow workers in pursuing gains instead of shaming them to come back to the pack. No worker should be complacent with their rights because they have what others outside their business deem ‘good enough.’ Instead of racing to the bottom, let’s push each other to the top.”

Amen to everything Tretter said. Although the decision to anticipate these issues at the outset of the effort to hammer out proper protocols for 2020 suggests that a “fight” (as Tretter used the word) is indeed coming, it’s the job of the union to fight for player rights; otherwise, those who will be assuming zero physical risk during football games in a pandemic will be tempted to push for scenarios that are less about maximizing player safety and more about illustrating the concept of “my guts, your blood.”

NBC

 

With Cardinals training camp coming, Arizona moves toward a potential shutdown

It wasn’t supposed to be this way, but it is. Two days before the first day of the month when training camps open, a state that hosts an NFL team is moving toward a shutdown.

Arizona governor Doug Doucey signed an order on Monday shutting down all “bars, gyms, movie theaters, water parks and tubings” for at least 30 days. This means that these measures will remain in place when the Cardinals convene for training camp on July 28.

Doucey hasn’t ruled out a complete shutdown of the state. The current national mood has swung sharply against a return to the extreme measures of March and April. Because, however, too few people have taken the virus seriously in May and June, that’s where things could be heading.

What it means for the Cardinals or any other team in any other state that may be heading in that direction remains to be seen. But it’s definitely not good news, and the vague sense of hope from the spring now seems quaint and naive as the Fourth of July approaches.

NBC

 

Chris Jones looking for $20M per year 'or I won't play'

Standout defensive lineman Chris Jones and his Super Bowl-champion Chiefs have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal.

However, if Jones, who the team applied the franchise tag to in March, doesn't get the deal he's desiring, it might be well past mid-July until Kansas City sees the uber-talented DL again.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday on NFL Total Access that Jones has "always viewed himself as a $20 million-plus" per-year player, but that the Chiefs have never seen him in such a light and have never offered him that substantial an amount. Hence, Garafolo added there is "a lot of work to be done," if a long-term pact is to be had and Garafolo's not confident it will happen.

Jones, a 2019 Pro Bowler, replied via Twitter to a reply to a video of Garafolo's report that a holdout might be in store.

"Or I won't play. Le'Veon Bell told me about this," Jones' tweet read.

Bell famously -- or infamously, pending on your viewpoint or rooting interest -- held out all of the 2018 season while he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers seeking a lofty contract. He was eventually released and signed a lucrative deal with the New York Jets.


Jones, 25, is set to make $16.1 million during the 2020 season on the franchise tag and currently there are only two defensive tackles making north of $20 million annually, per Over the Cap, and that's the Rams' Aaron Donald and the Colts' DeForest Buckner.

Jones, whose 87.6 grade via Pro Football Focus was the seventh-best among interior defensive linemen in 2019, is a four-year pro who really burst upon the scene in 2018 when he tallied 15.5 sacks. Over the last two seasons and 29 games played, he has 24.5 sacks. Aside from his statistics, though, Jones can play all along the line and impacts a game like few others.

Should he hold out, not only would it likely be a blow to the chemistry of the reigning Super Bowl champions, it would also take one of the most talented young defensive players in the league off the field.

It seems as though the honeymoon may well be over for the champs.

NFL.com

 

It’s been rumored and expected. It’s now official: The 2020 preseason will be trimmed from four games to two.

Specifically, Week One and Week Four have been scrapped. The league is expected to announce the move on Thursday.

The move was driven by two primary factors. First, teams who will be playing preseason games on the road won’t want to move that many people. Second, given that no teams had on-field practice sessions in the offseason, coaches would rather have the extra time to work with their teams, and that will happen if they don’t have to worry about two extra preseason games.

Already, the Week Four preseason game is worthless (or, more accurately, less worthless than the other preseason games). So it’s really only the loss of one preseason game. And the first preseason game doesn’t typically involve much work from starters, anyway.

NBC

 

Schedules will be altered so that each team plays a preseason game at home and one on the road.

 

Jones could save the Chiefs some money

 

NFL’s proposed timeline has rookies reporting as early as July 19

Training camps open July 28, giving the league four weeks to strike a deal with the NFL Players Association for putting everyone back to work. Based on the league’s tentative timeline, however, the two sides have fewer than four weeks.

Per a league source, the NFL’s proposed calendar has rookies reporting for a conditioning test on July 19, with rookie conditioning beginning two days later, on July 21. That same day, injured veterans would have their conditioning test, with conditioning for injured veterans starting on July 23. Veterans would be tested on July 26, with veteran conditioning starting along with the launch of camp on July 28.

It’s all subject to negotiation with the union, however, and agreements will need to be made soon if that timeline has any chance of happening. As explained earlier this week, some teams won’t even try to bring anyone in before July 28, giving the work that needs to be done to prepare the facility for camp.

Regardless of how it plays out, it’s time for labor and management to start striking some deals, and there are plenty of issues over which to haggle. As a practical matter, they’re all tied together — no different than the many sticking points that get tossed into the same blender when negotiating a comprehensive labor deal.

NBC

 

Although the NFL is still planning to open the season on time with fans in stadiums, the COVID-19 situation in some states is trending in the wrong direction.

One of those states is Florida, and Miami Dolphins chief executive officer Tom Garfinkel acknowledged that for some fans, it simply won’t be safe to be in large crowds when the season starts. But Garfinkel believes that the stadium won’t be completely empty.

“We will be going to our fans saying if you are in any way at risk we don’t think you should come, assuming we are going to be playing with some level of fans — which at this point may or may not happen,” he said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “It’s very uncertain. I am optimistic we will play with some fans and am hopeful about that. Assuming that’s the case, we will recommend to fans who are any way at risk not to come. Our season-ticket holders can roll over money into next year. They will be able to roll over and keep their tenure.”

Garfinkel said the Dolphins have “a no-fans scenario, a socially distanced stadium scenario, which would be roughly 15,000 to 20,000 fans and then maybe half-capacity scenario. We have all of those scenarios with a lot of details for each, different budgets for each. Things are changing daily. A few weeks ago, things were looking great and [the] last few weeks things have changed.”

No NFL teams will be playing at full capacity, as every team is going to block off the front few rows to keep players and fans from getting too close. But whether stadiums will otherwise be mostly full, mostly empty or totally empty remains to be seen. At this point, teams are still hoping they can make it happen with fans in attendance.

NBC

 

There will be no supplemental draft in 2020.

Despite some talk that there could be an increase in players entering the supplemental draft because players who are uncertain about the status of the college football season would rather turn pro, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the NFL informed all 32 teams today that no supplemental draft will take place this year.

Although the Collective Bargaining Agreement gives provides for the possibility of a supplemental draft each year, there’s no rule requiring it.

The supplemental draft began in 1977 and is intended for college football players whose eligibility status changed after the deadline to enter the regular draft. Last year’s supplemental draft saw one player drafted, with the Cardinals spending a fifth-round pick on safety Jalen Thompson.

NBC

 

Pre-game ceremonies could get interesting in 2020 if this is true . . .

It's been reported that the NFL will play "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (commonly referred to as the "Black National Anthem") immediately prior to the United States' National Anthem prior to all NFL games in 2020.

 

All games or just week 1?

 

I believe the report said for the season. (But I could have heard it wrong.)

 

From NBC;

The NFL will play “Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing,” commonly known as the black national anthem, before every season opener, Jason Reid of ESPN reports.

Stadiums will have someone perform “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” before “The Star-Spangled Banner,” according to Reid.

Some players, as well as Texans coach Bill O’Brien, already have committed to kneeling for the national anthem.

The NFL is considering other measures to recognize victims of police brutality during the upcoming season, per Reid. The proposals include listing the names of victims on uniforms through helmet decals or jersey patches, an idea that would come in collaboration with the NFL Players Association.

The NFL also may produce educational programs about victims, Reid adds.

The league hopes it demonstrates “a genuine commitment to the public, players and coaches and that player voices continue to be heard,” according to Reid’s source.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell admitted in a video last month that the league was wrong for not listening to its players earlier and pledged allegiance in their battle for social justice.

Of course, a team signing free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick likely would be seen as more of a show of faith than anything else the league can say or do.

 

The Packers are telling fans to prepare to wear a mask if they’re able to see a game at Lambeau Field at all this season.

In a message from Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy, season ticket holders were told that the team is optimistic fans will be able to attend games this year, although even that’s not a sure thing.

“At this time, the team is preparing to have fans in attendance with new policies and safety measures to allow for appropriate social distancing, which will require the stadium’s seating capacity to be significantly reduced,” the team’s statement said. “Face coverings also will be required, and other necessary precautions will be in place. As a result, the special experience to which fans are accustomed at Lambeau Field will look and feel very different.”

The Packers added that their full plan for the season has not been finalized, and that season ticket holders can either opt in and continue to receive updates about the specific plans for home games, or opt out and receive a refund for 2020 now, or get credit for 2021 season tickets.

The last part of the Packers’ message to season ticket holders may be the most important: Everything is subject to change.

NBC

 

Washington Redskins to undergo thorough review of team's name

The Washington Redskins announced Friday that the team will undergo a thorough review of the team's name.

"In light of recent events around our country and feedback from our community, the Washington Redskins are announcing the team will undergo a thorough review of the team's name," the team said in a statement. "This review formalizes the initial discussions the team has been having with the league in recent weeks."

Team owner Dan Snyder said in statement: "This process allows the team to take into account not only the proud tradition and history of the franchise but also input from our alumni, the organization, sponsors, the National Football League and the local community it is proud to represent on and off the field."

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement the league is supportive of this step.

"In the last few weeks we have had ongoing discussions with Dan and we are supportive of this important step," Goodell said.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, based on conversations with several sources, that a name change is likely.

The announcement comes less than 24 hours after FedEx, the company with naming rights to the team's stadium, requested the Washington Redskins to change the team's name.

FedEx paid $205 million in 1998 to the Redskins for the team's stadium naming rights in a deal that runs through 2025. FedEx founder, chairman and CEO Frederick Smith also is a team minority owner.


"This issue is of personal importance to me and I look forward to working closely with Dan Snyder to make sure we continue the mission of honoring and supporting Native Americans and our Military," head coach Ron Rivera said in a statement.

NFL.com

 

Trae Waynes working out carefully, since deal is not final



Trae Waynes got life-changing money from the Bengals this offseason. Except, he hasn’t actually gotten any of it.

The free agent cornerback hasn’t received his $15 million signing bonus from the three-year, $42 million deal he agreed to in March since he still hasn’t completed his official physical with the team doctors (because of the COVID-19 pandemic). And while he’s not complaining about it, it has changed things for him this offseason.

Waynes’ agent Brian Murphy told Albert Breer of SI.com that Waynes is being particularly careful with his workouts, for fear of a freak injury impacting him economically.

“I’ve advised Trae not to do any football drills, not to get out there on the field, certainly don’t do any live drills against other people. And my hope is that he’s following my advice,” Murphy said. “He signed a nice offseason contract to go to the Bengals, be the man in their secondary, make a major contribution, and so under ordinary circumstances, he’d be killing himself to get in the best shape possible. He did do all the Zoom calls. Obviously, there’s no physical activity there, and he’d really want to be in the best shape of life, so he can play the best football of his life. But because of the Bengals’ decision, he can’t do that.

“So yeah, he’s gotta be creative, he’s gotta find different ways to be at peak physical performance. But assuming he’s not doing the one-on-one drills, assuming he’s not battling other players, he’s just not gonna be where he otherwise would be in a normal year.”

That’s going to be true for practically every player this offseason, but the financial limbo remains a problem.

The Bengals aren’t the only team not allowing third-party physicals, which some teams have conceded to to finish deals. But now Waynes is waiting in Cincinnati, after moving his family this offseason.

“We regret the challenges that have arisen this year with processing contracts due to coronavirus,” Bengals vice president Troy Blackburn said. “The Bengals are very excited about adding Trae to the roster and are confident that he will be a good player here, but unfortunately issues relating to coronavirus have made contract execution matters harder than anyone wishes. Hopefully agreements can be reached soon between the NFL and the NFLPA that allow the season to get underway, at which point these issues go away.”

Until then, players such as Waynes are left to work out as carefully as they can, and hope nothing unfortunate happens which could complicate their planned signings.

NBC

 

David Njoku asks Browns to trade him



The Browns exercised their 2021 option on tight end David Njoku‘s contract, but Njoku would prefer to be playing somewhere else by the time next year rolls around.

Njoku has requested a trade away from Cleveland ahead of this season. His agent Drew Rosenhaus told Adam Schefter of ESPN that he informed the team of that request on Friday and that the Browns responded by saying they want to keep the 2017 first-round pick, but Njoku and Rosenhaus would like to see a move made before training camp opens later this month.

“It is in David’s best interest to find a new team at this time,” Rosenhaus said.

Njoku broke his wrist last season and only appeared in four games. He has 93 catches for 1,066 yards and nine touchdowns. The Browns signed Austin Hooper as a free agent and drafted Harrison Bryant in the fourth round earlier this year.

NBC

 

The NFL Players Association held a pair of conference calls with players on Thursday and Friday to discuss the protocols and concerns surrounding the return to play amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the topics up for discussion was the preseason schedule. The NFL moved to cut the schedule from four games to two games earlier this week, but word from those calls is that players are looking for a deeper cut.

Dan Graziano of ESPN reports that player reps voted to recommend playing no preseason games this summer while on Thursday’s call. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the union has discussed a camp schedule that would have three days of medical and equipment checks and three weeks of strength and conditioning work before moving into multiple weeks of practice ahead of the first week of the regular season.

There’s been no sign that the league is ready to scrap the rest of the preseason schedule, but it will likely be talked about as both sides work to come up with a firm plan for how to move forward with the 2020 season.

NBC