What we know and don’t know about Panthers, NFL COVID-19 protocols with camp set to start
As the dates for the Carolina Panthers’ training camp approaches, the NFL and NFL Players’ Association are still trying to reach an agreement on safety protocols for the 2020 NFL season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a Zoom call with reporters on Friday, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said it’s the NFL’s decision as to when the season will start, but it’s the NFLPA’s job to hold the NFL accountable and make sure its players are safe.
“The health and safety aspect has to be taken care of for the players first and foremost,” NFLPA president JC Tretter said.
Here is what we know and don’t know about training camp and the start of the season:
What we know
Will training camp start on time?
It appears so. Smith emphasized that it is the NFL’s decision as to when training camp should start. He added that the NFL made the decision to start training camp on time.
The Panthers’ training camp is expected to start on July 28. Rookies report on July 21. Quarterbacks and rookies report on July 23.
He also added that Tretter was on a call with all of the NFL’s team doctors Thursday night, and the doctors said it was safe to open training camp.
Will there be testing?
Yes, players will be tested. How much players will be tested is currently unclear. But the NFLPA is pushing for players to be tested daily.
“Especially given some of these hot spots,” Smith said. “And we don’t, right now, plan on changing that position. It doesn’t mean we won’t continue to talk about it. But we were clear on our belief that daily testing was going to be necessary.
Will there be a full preseason?
It doesn’t appear so. The NFL has cut down the preseason to two games. But the NFLPA’s position is that there should be no preseason. Both the NFLPA and NFL’s goal is to complete a full 16-game season.
“Engaging in two games where players would be flying over the country and meeting together to engage in work, we feel that doing that prior to the season, doesn’t properly influence or increase the likelihood of starting and finishing the season on time,” Smith said.
Would players have to quarantine if they test positive?
The NFL has set up a system for the variety of scenarios that will occur, including the levels of contact players have with people who test positive.
If a player tests positive for COVID-19, but is asymptomatic, either 10 days need to have passed since the initial positive test or five days pass since the initial positive test and the player then receives two consecutive negative virus tests, at least 24 hours apart, within that five-day period. They then need to get clearance from the Panthers team physician.
If a player tests positive for COVID-19 and has symptoms, at least 10 days need to pass since symptoms first appeared and at least 72 hours have passed since the player last experienced symptoms. They also then need to be cleared by the Panthers team physician.
There is also a return to play process that depends on the seriousness of the infection.
What we don’t know
Have any Panthers players opted out of the season?
This part is sort of unclear as the protocol and timeline for doing so is still being worked out. However, Smith said he is not aware of any players who have formally opted out.
How often are players going to be tested?
That remains unclear for now. The NFLPA continued to assert that they want players tested on a daily basis, but the NFL has not agreed to that proposal.
“We believe that daily testing is important, especially given some of these hot spots,” Smith said. “We don’t right now plan on changing that position. It doesn’t mean that we won’t continue to talk about it, but we were clear about our belief that daily testing is going to be necessary.”
The league, on the other hand, has offered to test every other day. The union believes that testing frequently will play a key role in being able to see out an entire season. With training camp around the corner, the amount of testing done is one of the key issues that still needs to be resolved.
“Anybody can start the season,” Smith said. “But I believe the daily testing increases our chance of finishing.”
Is there any reason to think things aren’t going on as scheduled?
Not right now. The Panthers are still planning on training camp officially getting underway July 28.
The NFL has shown no signs that it wants to delay the start of the season or training camp and, ultimately, the league is responsible for making that decision, per the CBA. At this point, things are on as scheduled, but that could quickly change.
How will this affect next year’s salary cap?
There is no exact number or answer to that question at this point. It is expected, however, that the salary cap could drop by as much as $70 million for 2021, per Smith. This year’s salary cap is $198.2 million.
“The salary cap next year could be something around $120 million. And that would mean that a number of players could be cut,” Smith said. “A lot of players who have salaries that would push a team above that salary cap would either be forced to drastically renegotiate their contracts or they would be cut.”
A salary cap around $128.2 million would result in many players being cut and complete changes in rosters. The Panthers currently are projected to have just over $164 million in salaries in 2021.
Smith said that the NFLPA would prefer for the economic impact to be spread over multiple years, so it doesn’t hit all at once. He also pointed out that player health benefits are part of the player cost per team and they could be negatively impacted if the cap goes down dramatically.
