The coronavirus outbreak won’t push back the start of the new league year or NFL free agency, but it will have an impact on other aspects of the offseason. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL has delayed OTAs (organized team activities) for teams across the league.
The Rams were slated to start their offseason program on April 20, which kicked off phase one of the process. It’s unclear when the league will resume workouts this offseason.
Additionally, players are prohibited from entering any team facility through March 31 to prevent spreading the virus. That includes pending free agents, who will not be able to visit a team’s facility before signing with them.
In a memo to teams, the NFL has implemented new rules for free agency and postponed the off-season training activities indefinitely, in a memo obtained by ESPN. pic.twitter.com/gFkSErJBa4
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2020
It remains to be seen how exactly this will impact the rest of the offseason, considering mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 15-18 for the Rams. Training camp typically begins at the end of July, too, so it’s possible the two will take place much closer together than usual.
Here was the Rams’ original schedule for offseason workouts.
- Phase 1: April 20
- Rookie minicamp: May 8-10
- Phase 2: May 4
- Phase 3: May 26
- Mandatory minicamp: June 15-18