Former New York Giants assistant and current New Orleans Saints head coach, Sean Payton, believes that the NFL will announce a delay to free agency on Sunday after voting on the CBA has been tallied and revealed.
“Most immediately, the start of our league year, which is due to be this Wednesday, I think, free agency begins, that’s gonna be, I think, pushed back,” Payton said, via Amie Just of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Rumors have circulated in recent days that the league could delay free agency as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, but they have maintained a “business as usual” approach for the most part.
Currently, the NFL’s legal tampering window is scheduled to open at noon eastern time on Monday with the new league year and free agency officially getting underway on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. ET.
However, the league has already mandated that no pre-draft visits take place for the time being, while the vast majority of team scouts and personnel have been pulled off the road.
The Giants, along with several other NFL teams, have also closed their facilities to all non-essential personnel and recommended that most employees work from home for the next two weeks.
If the NFL does allow free agency to move forward as scheduled, it will be curious to see how teams handle visits, workouts and physicals — all of which require person-to-person interaction and travel.
