League had already reduced the preseason schedule to two games, but they've all been eliminated as of July 20.
On Monday, July 20, the NFL said it would be eliminating all preseason games, which gave the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) a win.
"The NFL Players Association on Tuesday told its players there will be zero preseason games in 2020, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Tom Pelissero and NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported," said NFL.com.
The association had previously asked the league to forego the preseason altogether, and that was answered with a reduction in the schedule to one or two exhibition games. However, according to reports, the NFL has decided the preseason is a no-go.
The pre-season schedule is just one of many things the NFLPA and the NFL are negotiating at this time. The association pushed for more acclimation time for players to physically acclimate to training-camp demands, and the NFL aquiesced on that, giving players 18 days to ramp up rather than its initial 7-day offer. The league is also expected to limit the numbers of players invited to training camp.
"The union said it has a general agreement with the league on voluntary and high-risk opt-out possibilities, and another general agreement on a compensatory stipend in the event games are lost due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," NFL.com said.
Getting ready to report this week hoping the @NFL will come to agreement with the safe and right protocols so we can feel protected playing the sport we love #WeWantToPlay
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) July 19, 2020
According to the NFLPA, 95 players have tested positive for coronavirus as of July 21. To ensure players are healthy, they will receive tests every day for the first two weeks of training camp, with frequency decreasing it protocols are met. Training camp is slated to begin at the end of July.
What do you think about the preseason cancelation? To be honest, I'm a Broncos fan, and I have a theory that the better we do in preseason, the worse we do in the real season. Who knows? This could be our year!
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
