Chiefs training camp opening pushes NFL, NFLPA to find common ground

The timing of Chiefs training camp is pushing the NFL and the NFLPA to find common ground.

When the announcement was made that the Kansas City Chiefs would open the 2020 regular season by hosting the Houston Texans on September 10 in primetime, it also meant that both teams would be arriving a bit earlier than everyone else to training camp in order to get ready for the year ahead. Those dates are now much more meaningful than anyone predicted.

NFL reporter Tom Pelissero has word that owners in the National Football League are hoping to wrap negotiations with the NFL Players Association on a number of issues before the Chiefs and Texans are scheduled to begin working out at the start of training camp.

Both sides have been talking for the duration of the spring and summer as the COVID-19 virus has turned into a global pandemic. The NFL was able to still pull off major events like the first-year player draft and free agency also opened on time. However, NFL teams were forced to cancel any in-person offseason training activities, rookie minicamps and the like. In fact, team facilities only opened in recent weeks to coaching staff and front office personnel.

Despite the lack of agreed-upon protocols for safety measures and finances for the upcoming season, rookies have already been told to report to training camp for their initial COVID-19 tests on the previously scheduled dates. Rookies first reported on Monday and should be cleared by week’s end to begin training—that is, if the league and the NFLPA can find some common ground.