The President of the United States has declared a national emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak. Countless sporting events have been put on hold or canceled. NFL teams, including the Detroit Lions, have suspended travel for coaches and personnel staff.
And now, in an effort to continue safety efforts among teams and draft prospects, the NFL has canceled all pre-draft visits to team facilities and colleges.
While the league is being proactive in limiting physical interactions in the name of safety, their decision to not alter the current 2020 NFL calendar, could have a different type of negative impact.
On Wednesday of next week, the existing plan is to open the league’s new year and free agency period. This would also keep the 2020 NFL Draft schedule in place as well as the spring mini-camps and summer plans.
While maintaining this current schedule and safety standards appears workable on the surface — teams/agents can negotiate contracts over the phone — travel is still an essential part of free agency, as NFL contracts require medical checks to be completed.
Teams can, and probably will send private transportation to gather top-tier players in order to get their contracts done. But, will they be inclined to pay for private transportation for second and third-tier players? What about the fourth tier? At some point, teams will have tough spending decisions to make and it could cost these players opportunities.
Additionally, by maintaining the current schedule/safety plan prohibiting teams and prospects from interacting at pro days and facility visits, the second, third, and fourth-tier prospects will once again be the ones who feel the biggest impact.
These visits are where teams cultivate relationships and are often the difference between an undrafted player getting a shot in the NFL or potentially needing to look for a new line of work.
At the end of the day, the safety of individuals needs to continue to be a priority and to their credit, the NFL and their organizations are taking measures to ensure that it is. But if things continue down this path and the NFL schedule begins on time, there will be a significant amount of non-high profile players that will be a severe disadvantage.
