Multiple people across the NFL are now anticipating that the new league year will start on time, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The NFL has maintained that the new league year will start as scheduled at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday; however, team officials were skeptical about the date not being moved given the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
There are ongoing conversations, and the date could still be moved, but there is a different tone from teams as if it is happening as scheduled now, sources told Schefter.
Legal tampering for free agents is set to begin at noon ET on Monday — a day that typically opens with a slew of meetings between teams and players or their representatives. ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that optimism over the league year starting on time stems from the fact that free agency isn’t a spectator event with large crowds and that deals can be done without visits.
There has also been guidance from the league for teams, players and agents to do business remotely, a source told Schefter.
The NFL has already taken measures to adhere to calls for social distancing when it comes to meeting with draft hopefuls, prohibiting “all in-person, pre-draft visits involving draft-eligible players,” according to a memo obtained by Graziano.
The memo came amid a wave of statements from individual teams announcing they were pulling their scouts and player personnel staff from the road amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The league has also canceled its annual meeting, which was scheduled to be held in West Palm Beach, Florida, from March 29 through April 1.
The NFL has adjusted to a truncated calendar before. In 2011, amid a lockout that ran from March to August, the league year did not begin until Aug. 4, with preseason games starting a week later.