NFL Players Association Finalizing Proposal To Overhaul Offseason Workouts

As more studies are conducted and overall knowledge improves, it only makes sense that certain things throughout the NFL change and adjust to protect the players. A number of rule changes have been implemented over the past few years in hopes of preventing major injuries across the league.

Changes have also been brought about in terms of practice and training camps around the NFL. Limiting the number of full-padded practices and the amount of hitting that goes on during camp would, in theory, keep players fresher throughout the regular season.

Of course, there is an entire offseason program with voluntary workouts and OTAs preceding actual training camp, but that may not be the case for much longer. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the NFL Players Association is finalizing a proposal that would overhaul offseason programs:

End of OTAs? The NFL Players Association is working to finalize a proposal to overhaul the offseason starting as soon as 2025, eliminating voluntary on-field work in the spring in favor of a longer training camp ramp-up, with players reporting in mid-June to early July, per… pic.twitter.com/nQa9TmKCGO

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 28, 2024

The thinking behind this would seem to be that having a longer training camp in which all players attend and slowly ramp up the intensity would allow bodies to properly adjust and thus lessen the injuries that often occur. As it currently stands, the first preseason game takes place just a week or two after training camp begins, not giving much time for players to get up to game speed.

Of course, many steps remain, as the Players Association is simply preparing a proposal, which the league and owners would still have to approve. Football is a dangerous and violent sport, and it is impossible to mitigate all potential issues and injuries, but the Players Association is at least exploring more possibilities to protect the players.