The restrictions placed in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had forced the league to take unprecedented action ahead of the 2020 NFL season. One of the more notable changes was to push back the release of the upcoming schedule since there are still many unknown factors to consider.

The league opted to postpone the schedule release until after the 2020 NFL Draft. According to Sports Business Daily‘s Ben Fischer (h/t Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio), the front office still has yet to decide on whether or not they will push it back again. Currently, it's expected to be released by May 9 (and anticipated to be on May 7) but it still remains subject to change:

“The league currently is debating whether to further postpone the schedule release, which usually comes out before the draft. Currently, broadcasters expect to the schedule to be released on Thursday, May 7. Some inside the league office, along with ‘ticket industry insiders,' are arguing against it, explaining that committing to game times (and selling tickets to those games) without more clarity about whether the 2020 season can proceed with fans present would amount to ‘inviting trouble.'

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The NFL is dealing with a number of elements that must be taken into consideration before deciding on the release. The biggest issue being the ongoing pandemic potentially preventing fans from attending games in the first place.

Ticket companies are clearly looking for more insurance before following through on something that may not be able to come to fruition for quite some time. Meanwhile, commissioner Roger Goodell has been adamant about making sure that the year starts on time. However, reports indicate that the league is already preparing to have Super Bowl LV pushed back a couple weeks in February.

Adjustments were likely going to be made anyways since the new CBA will go into effect in the 2021 NFL season to make way for a 17-game campaign. This will only serve to add to the difficult situation that the league currently finds itself in.