New rules, important dates to know for 2020 Saints training camp

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New Orleans Saints veterans reported to the team practice facility for COVID-19 testing on Tuesday, with rookie players having made the trip on Monday and now waiting on their results. The public health crisis has played havoc on the NFL’s offseason calendar, and it’ll continue to impact training camp as we approach the regular season.

Some players have chosen to opt out; one of them is Saints tight end Cole Wick, who returned from the 2019 practice squad but chose to pass on the 2020 season, citing asthma and heightened health risk. While none of his teammates have yet joined him in opting out, it’s very much a fluid situation.

The NFL and the NFL Players Associated hammered out a new training camp structure and many new rules for the remainder of the 2020 offseason, which we’ve detailed below:

Aug. 4: Players must submit written notice to their teams that they will be opting out of the 2020 season, either voluntarily or due to elevated risk to their personal health. The NFL and NFLPA are still finalizing this process, so players have until Aug. 4 to file with their teams.

Players who opt out because of heightened risk for infection can earn $350,000 instead of their non-guaranteed salary. Voluntary opt-outs will receive $150,000, though this does not extend to undrafted rookies.

Once training camp begins, the first phase will include a 20-day “ramp-up” period, starting with four days of COVID-19 testing and two additional days of conventional physicals. Players will not be allowed into the team practice facility until they have received two negative tests, and will not count against the roster limit while testing positive.

The second phase of the “ramp-up” period will feature a week of strength and conditioning drills, with players working in small groups of no more than 15 individuals. Teams may practice with helmets and shells, but no pads, during the final five days of this period.

Aug. 16: All teams must cut their rosters down to 80 players, the day before padded practices begin. With Wick opting out, the Saints currently have 89 players under contract, so some of them won’t have much of a shot at making an impression before things heat up on the practice field. We’ve highlighted ten names to watch for this first wave of roster cuts.

Aug. 17: Teams may begin holding padded practices, with no more than 14 sessions total before the start of the regular season. Padded practice sessions will last no more than 90 minutes at first, with 15-minute increments added onto each subsequent practice until they reach a total of 120 minutes. Players will be given one day off for seven days of work.
The 2020 preseason series has been canceled.

Sept. 4: Teams must cut their rosters down from 80 players to just 53, and file waivers claims in order to fill out their practice squads. The 2020 practice squad will expand to 16 players to accommodate expected absences due to COVID-19 infections.

The NFL’s 2020 salary cap will remain stable at $198.2 million, but the 2021 salary cap will fall no lower than $175 million due to expected revenue losses. It may rise depending to changes in leaguewide revenue, but any losses will be divided up through 2024.

If the NFL season is canceled after games are played, players that were on the 53-man roster will receive a $300,000 stipend. But if the season is canceled before final roster cuts, only those players who were on teams in 2019 will receive a stipend of $250,000.

The NFL and NFLPA agreed to start a fund to pay back benefits lost to declines in revenue, which will run through 2023.