For those who wonder what purpose the OTA schedule serves, know that you’re not alone. The NFL Player’s Association, the union for the actual talent on display every week through the fall months, feels the same way.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the NFLPA is interested in doing away with at least a portion of the voluntary work that has a ton of practice and engagement restrictions. Instead, they want to have NFL teams start their training camps earlier. For the Dallas Cowboys, that could mean an extended visit to Oxnard, CA, where the team has conducted their training camp for the last several decades.
End of OTAs? The NFL Players Association is working to finalize a proposal to overhaul the offseason starting as soon as 2025, eliminating voluntary on-field work in the spring in favor of a longer training camp ramp-up, with players reporting in mid-June to early July, per… pic.twitter.com/nQa9TmKCGO
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 28, 2024
Right now, teams report to training camp towards the end of July, spending three to four weeks in camp and front-ending the first two games of the exhibition season. Teams break camp and then play one final preseason contest before roster cutdowns and the onset of the regular season.
OTAs, or voluntary off-season training activities, are series of three-day events that normally happen over consecutive weeks and often lead into the team’s sole mandatory minicamp. That normally happens before a month-long hiatus that leads into camp.
Players don’t have to attend, but as is often the case, there is a stigma attached when players don’t show up to work with the team.
A longer training camp could lead to a better product during the month of September, though work in the exhibition season is still probably going to be limited for players expected to be key figures when the games matter.