The 49ers will have a different training camp reporting date than the rest of the NFL according to Matt Barrows of the Athletic.
NFL guidelines had teams first reporting to camp Tuesday, July 21. San Francisco will instead report Thursday July 23rd, the day quarterbacks and injured players will also check in. Testing for Covid-19 will take place at that time as part of daily testing for two weeks that was agreed upon by the NFL and NFL Players Association. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported the testing protocols.
The rest of the team is expected to report on the NFL’s set timeline of July 28, although who reports could hinge on whether the league and the NFLPA have a set of agreed-upon safety protocols. Players took to Twitter over the weekend prior to reporting to express their displeasure with the pace of and results of negotiations over those safety measures.
The adjusted calendar means the team’s facility is likely to receive an exception to open after it had previously been closed as a non-essential office building. Barrows noted on Twitter that the county is expected to give the team the go-ahead to enter the building once the league and NFLPA have a finalized plan for safety protocols and emergency measures.
Numbers in Santa Clara were trending the wrong direction when the league wanted to open camp according to data released by the NFL Players Association, so the likelihood was slim that the 49ers’ facility was going to be open by local guidelines.
NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero noted on Twitter the NFLPA and NFL owners came to an agreement in March that said 20 players would be allowed in the building at a time, “until the NFLPA signs off on infectious disease emergency response plans for each club.”
As of now, only 20 players would be allowed in the facility at a time, until the NFLPA signs off on infectious disease emergency response plans for each club. If protocols aren't met, a grievance could follow. But clubs have the right to set reporting dates within CBA rules.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 18, 2020
The 49ers’ facility has only been open for rehabbing players since shutdowns to control the spread of Covid-19 began. They were behind the NFL’s re-opening guidelines for front office personnel and coaches, and now they’ll be behind most of the league in starting camp. However, they should be able to get back on track and be ready for kickoff on September 13 vs. the Cardinals.