The NFL has already announced its decision to cut the preseason in half due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, it appears that is not enough for the NFLPA given all the risks involved.
According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, the NFLPA voted unanimously to eliminate the preseason altogether:
On Thursday night’s NFLPA call, the union’s board of reps voted unanimously to recommend that the NFL play no preseason games this year. It’s unclear whether the league, which has already decided to cut the preseason from four games to two, will consider the recommendation.
The decision should hardly come as a surprise considering players already had mixed feelings about risking their health in meaningless, exhibition games. This has started a trend with a number of teams opting to sit out their key starters for the entirety of the preseason in recent years. It is safe to say that the ongoing pandemic has only amplified these concerns.
Unfortunately, canceling every exhibition game would also effectively take away valuable opportunities that most players on the roster bubble rely on to make the team. Their chances were already limited since teams plan to reduce the number of players they take into training camp in an effort to reduce the chances of an outbreak.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether or not the league's front office will even mull over the prospect of not having a preseason. The idea should not be too far-fetched given how the league has been forced to take unprecedented action in order to maintain the current timeline of the 2020 NFL season.
Follow Us
Subscribe