NFL Releases Statement On The Start Of The Free Agency Following Coronavirus Situation

The NFL released an official statement regarding the coronavirus pandemic. The entire nation is shocked, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the worst nightmare we’ve had recently.

This time, the league announced that it has no plans to delay the start of the NFL year. It will begin next Wednesday, March 18 at 4 p.m. ET.

The free agency will open and NFL teams will be able to execute trades. According to experts, the legal tampering period will begin at noon ET on March 16. During this period, teams will have the chance to begin negotiating with impending free agents.

The NFL will have to find a solution to the coronavirus situation

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is making headlines these days. He is on top of the list of 19 New England Patriots players set to hit the open market. Devin McCourty, Kyle Van Noy, Joe Thuney, Jamie Collins and Matthew Slater are part of this list.

The coronavirus outbreak has changed the pre-draft process. NFL agent Erik Burkhardt noted that the NFL has canceled all prospect visits to team facilities. Draft-eligible players will be allowed to visit up to 30 teams. These meetings often last a few hours.

Several teams made cancelations. This doesn’t apply to the NFL as a whole as confirmed by a report from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

“The NFL has not canceled any pre-draft visits or workouts. That’s at a team’s discretion. The biggest issue for the free agency may be getting players’ physicals. Every year, there are 1 or 2 players who fail, but how does a team ask them to get on a commercial flight?”

Several teams have considered closing their facilities as suggested in a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. School officials will need to make a decision on whether to hold their pro days. More than 80 of these will take place over the next month. Michigan (March 13), Penn State (March 17) and Georgia (March 18) are set to hold theirs in the next few days.