Report: Patriots Ground Scouts and Coaches Due to Coronavirus Concerns

With the rest of the sports world on hold amid the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL currently has “no plans” to delay the start of free agency, although reports indicate that could change soon.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the league is considering delaying the start of free agency with a potential announcement coming Sunday.

The NFL is wary of the coronavirus crisis, and the delay would also allow the players to vote and potentially ratify a new Collective Bargaining Agreement without further delays.

If the league year is put on hold, quarterback Tom Brady will be under contract with the Patriots a little while longer. It’s unknown what kind of impact that would have on negotiations, but it would give the Pats more time to talk contract figures with the six-time champ exclusively.

On the NFL draft front, the Patriots told their coaches and scouts not to fly and work from home for the time being during the coronavirus crisis, per the MMQB’s Albert Breer.

The NFL is trying to avoid delaying the draft, which is set to take place from April 23-25, but this is typically a busy time of year with Pro Days and top 30 visits on the schedule.

Pro Days are videotaped by each school and distributed to all 32 teams with a local NFL team required on-sight to record testing numbers, which can still take place amid COVID-19.

Plus, teams have years of tape and information from coaches, teammates, and family members already along with information gathered at the NFL combine and things like the Senior Bowl.

With prospects potentially unable to travel, losing the top 30 visits due to coronavirus would be a blow, but teams should have the necessary resources to evaluate the 2020 draft class properly.

For now, the NFL’s offseason remains on-schedule, and we’ll keep you updated here at CLNS media as we learn new information.