It seems as though the NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) have finally agreed upon something that most fans will agree with as well: No one needs the preseason this year.
According to Pro Football Talk, the NFL wanted two preseason games, the NFLPA wanted none. In the end, the compromise was none.
The league had signaled a willingness to reduce their request to one game. Though, as NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said, what’s the point of traveling and risking virus exposure for one game.
“To engage in two games where players would be flying all over the country and then engaging with each other to work, and to do that prior to the season, doesn’t increase the likelihood of starting and finishing the season on time,” Smith said on a conference call with the Pro Football Writers of America on Friday.
“No preseason games will allow the league to follow a schedule recommended by a joint committee,” Pro Football Talk reports. “That schedule calls for three weeks of strength and conditioning work, 10 days of non-padded practice and 10 days of padded practice over the final two weeks.”
Though tedious and meaningless, preseason games did offer owners another revenue source. Revenue loss, however, in a season where there will be few if any fans in the stands, is something the league will need to get used to.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn