The coronavirus has affected almost every major springtime sports leagues in the United States. The NFL was bound to be affected. While the league is still on the fence about delaying their own timetable, there are suggestions that they may delay the start of their offseason for the sake of their players.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that the league is not seriously considering delaying their free agency as their players are not playing during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, it’s been confirmed that they’re tinkering with the idea as the global pandemic has taken a great hit on the country recently.

The league will reportedly wait until the CBA voting closes before they make their decision. Once the agreement has been ratified or rejected by the players, they can now focus on whether to extend or delay the start of the season as they see fit.

The main reason for this consideration is the coronavirus, of course. Having players negotiate with teams would mean meetings have to happen on the regular. Once a player agrees to a contract, he would have to go to the team and sign a formal contract. Photo ops would also have to be done. The usual parts of the free agency period become more hazardous given the nature of the coronavirus.

Given how the other major sports leagues have called off their seasons, it would be best for the NFL to also halt any offseason activity. The health of their players is always more important during these trying times. This means that free agency and the NFL Draft may be greatly altered in the name of public health.