2020 NFL Season

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2020 NFL Season

3 years ago

2020 NFL Season

The 2020 NFL season had the advantage of being in the midst of their offseason at the time when Coronavirus had spread around the other major sports leagues, which caused those leagues to experience disruptions during their season in order to plan for the global pandemic. The NFL was able to plan adjustments ahead of schedule and ended up cancelling all preseason games, as well as postpone in person offseason workouts.

 

With many shakeups in team rosters around the league, many wondered how integrating into new systems would play out for players arriving to a new team during this adjusted season. Let’s take a look at some familiar NFL players that will be wearing unfamiliar uniforms in 2020.

 

2020 Offseason

The NFL offseason has made big waves in the sports community, highlighted by the biggest free agent signing of Tom Brady. Brady left the New England Patriots and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Super Bowl 55 hosted in Tampa, Brady looks to make history being the first NFL team to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium.

 

Brady leaves behind his 20-year legacy in Foxborough and joins an offensive core in Tampa that includes tight end OJ Howard, and receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Brady has made it clear that he plans on continuing his chase for a Super Bowl with the same hungry spirit he’s had since his earlier years. His fairytale career with the Patriots will be regarded as one of the most successful dynasties in sports, but he is not finished yet.

 

Todd Gurley, one of the most productive running backs since 2015, has signed with the Atlanta Falcons after his release from the Los Angeles Rams. After his release, Gurley reportedly spoke with Julio Jones about going back to the state where he played his college career, Georgia.

 

Philip Rivers will not be starting for the Chargers next season for the first time since he took over for Drew Brees in 2006. Rivers will be the starting Quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, who have been looking for a replacement at the position since the unexpected retirement of Andrew Luck, just before the beginning of last season. Tyrod Taylor was named the started for the Los Angeles Chargers, until an incident with a team doctor had taken him out of the lineup. The Chargers rookie and #6 overall pick, former Oregon QB Justin Herbert, has taken a commanding role as starter since Taylors absence.

 

Rob Gronkowski rejoins his quarterback in Tampa Bay. The all-decade tight end had one year left on his contract in New England since retiring and was traded to the Buccaneers out of retirement. Gronk was reportedly nearly traded to the Lions in 2018 but threatened to retire rather than play with a quarterback other than Tom Brady.

 

Deandre Hopkins made his departure from the Houston Texans, as relationships and contract negotiations were unable to reach agreement. The wide receiver was a fan favorite in Houston, taking over for the previous #1 receiver in Houston, Andre Johnson. Hopkins signed with the Arizona Cardinals, and has developed a solid connection, catching passes from second year number 1 draft pick, Kyler Murray.

 

Brandin Cooks has been traded for the 3rd time in his career. Initially with the New Orleans Saints, he has since been traded to New England, the Los Angeles Rams, and now will play for the Houston Texans. Cooks has been in the NFL for 6 years and will play for his 4th new team next season.

 

Stefon Diggs has left the Minnesota Vikings, being traded to the Buffalo Bills, to catch passes from 3rd year quarterback Josh Allen. The Bills hope to capitalize in the AFC East with the recent departure of Tom Brady. Buffalo is the first contender in line to take over the division title. The Diggs trade has been called a “win-win” by Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.

 

Teddy Bridgewater will play quarterback for the Carolina Panthers next season. The arrival of Bridgewater has come at the expense of releasing 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton. Bridgewater displayed great ability last season while stepping in for Saints QB Drew Brees for 9 games. Brees suffered a thumb injury in week 2 that kept him off the field for 9 weeks. Bridgewater and the Saints went 8-1 during that period.

 

Melvin Gordon is moving to the division rival Denver Broncos. The former Los Angeles Chargers running back has said that the appeal of playing his former team twice a year impacted his decision to sign. Andre Eckler looks to carry most of the load for the Chargers backfield next year.

Reopening during COVID-19

While the league had postponed their schedule release, in-person team workouts, and cancelled their preseason entirely, the first game of the season was played on schedule with the Kansas City Chiefs kicking off Thursday Night Football against the Houston Texans on Sept. 10.

 

Mandates for wearing masks on the sidelines, regular testing, as well as restrictions for pregame and post-game interactions have been implemented by the league for the players and faculty protection. Heavy fines are dealt by the league to those teams which break coronavirus protocol, which has been given little tolerance for any breaking of those rules.

 

Early in the season, the Tennessee Titans had closed their facility due to an increase in positive test results which caused their week 4 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers to be postponed and continued to cause more scheduling changes. The Titans were the most heavily fined team for coronavirus violations until being surpassed by the Las Vegas Raiders in week 9.

 

The league has planned for extending the regular season to 18 games to provide flexibility for any games that will need to be rescheduled in the future. No decision has been formally made, but Roger Goodell and NFL executives have been discussing further coronavirus contingencies.

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