Time to Switch Off the NFL Offseason Program?

      The NFL offseason: a time to re-charge the batteries, get the mind right and re-focus on what lies ahead.

     For most players, that entails a combination of training, working out on their own and jetting off for vacations.

     While, in my opinion, the offseason does not go by fast enough, it is as the old saying goes, time flies when you are having fun. Fun may be used loosely in a lot of cases, but training camp is getting closer and closer.

     This offseason stands in stark contrast to last offseason, the year that was guided primarily by circumstances rather than football. The pandemic forced all offseason activities to be to virtual meetings. Players, coaches and families were not able to go on vacations and get away.

     This was not an attractive option, nor was it an option at all. Stay-at-home orders and shutdowns meant that world-class athletes were also experiencing the same stir-crazy feelings that we all were last spring. Brilliant coaches were also conducting business over Zoom and WebEx. All preseason games were also cancelled.

     As a result many feared the quality of play would drop and that injuries would rise. The latter would be the case in the short-term, think one injury-plagued week two. But, overall, injuries were surprisingly down from the 2019 season.

     And that dip in quality of the product that so many anticipated, never really happened. The games were still competitive, exciting and provided so much for fans - most of whom had to watch from home - to be excited about.

     So in the age of player empowerment, this has given the players a brand new bargaining chip.

     Most of the NFL's offseason program was already voluntary for players to attend. While it is recommended and certainly helpful, players are not required to show up for voluntary workouts and OTAs. Often, there is language put in contracts to incentivize attendance on these dates.

     But after last year, it has been proven that maybe these practices and meetings are not as necessary as previously thought.

     This, combined with the fact that the pandemic is still not over with, meant that players on many teams made unified decisions that they would not be attending the first part of the voluntary offseason program. This has lead many to wonder what the future of voluntary offseason practices is and if the practices and workouts should continue?

     I believe that they will and that they should, so long as these practices remain strictly voluntary.

     I have been disgusted when some teams have used terminology that can be deemed coercive when attempting to convince players to show up for the offseason program. This completely violates the term "voluntary".

     I think if you do not use aggressive terminology to try and force players to attend, then we can keep this current schedule. I believe that if the NFL continues to give players the option to attend, then there is nothing wrong with this. Players that want to go and work on things will have that opportunity and there will not be a punishment for those who wish to not attend.

     I believe that a voluntary offseason is better for the game, so long as the word voluntary remains the program's guiding principle.