The NFL Players Association is reportedly working to finalize a proposal to potentially eliminate voluntary on-field work in the spring in favor of a longer training camp ramp-up that starts in mid-June to early July, which would radically change the NFL offseason, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
This would be a pretty radical change, as many players have incentives or workout bonuses in their contracts if they show up to OTAs. It would be interesting to see if this compromise would potentially result in a better product down the line. There have been many complaints in recent years of teams not being as prepared to start the season now due to the reduced amount of practice time ahead of the start of the season. A longer training camp could help in that regard.
Pelissero went into further detail about how this proposal would drastically change the NFL offseason.
“Basically, the idea here would be to roll an extended, OTA-stype ramp-up — strength and conditioning, non-padded work, etc. — straight into training camp without a six-week break/de-escalation in between. A major change,” Pelissero said on X.
The union reportedly has been seeking feedback on the plan from players, and the majority support the change, according to Pelissero. A formal proposal is expected this summer, and this being enacted would require an agreement with the NFL. The new leadership of the NFLPA has consulted medical and performance experts to try to create a solution for reducing injuries and maximizing players’ recovery time. Pelissero reported that while virtual classroom work would still be allowed in the spring, no practice would be permitted until training camp.
Pelissero did say that while the proposal is not directly related to the speculation about a potential 18-game schedule, it would make sense for the players’ down time in the offseason to be one long break.
It will be interesting to see if this proposal goes through. It would obviously change the process for NFL teams in the spring, and there are many questions that this would bring.
What implications does the NFLPA’s proposal have for the NFL offseason?
The NFLPA’s proposal to eliminate OTAs and extend training camp likely have some benefits and some negative aspects as well. A longer, drawn out training camp would give teams more time together ahead of the season to be ready to go for Week 1, especially from an offensive line perspective, as that unit takes a lot of time to gel.
It would give players a longer period to recover in the offseason from the previous year. However, what implications would this have for mandatory minicamp or rookie minicamp? Rookie minicamp is used to get the first year players acclimated to the organization and how the team does things.
This would obviously be a radical change, and only time will tell if it goes through.
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