Every offseason, the NFL looks for ways to make the league better for everyone, from fans to players. In an effort to do that, the NFLPA has been working on a proposal to change to the offseason schedule. It was reported that instead of the current offseason schedule, where teams hold offseason activities in may and June, then take a break until training camp in late July, the players would prefer a longer training camp period, where OTAs essentially roll right into training camp.
This means that players would have a longer offseason, without any team responsibilities in the spring. They’d just be expected to report in mid-June to early July, and get everything accomplished then. While this is a proposal that’s being put together by the players association, quite a few current and former players have been very vocal in opposition of the possible change.
One of those players is New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr. Carr recently appeared on Green Light with Chris Long, and Long asked him how he felt about this possible change. Carr made it very clear that he was not in favor of it, saying that it would result in a decline in skill.
Derek Carr says skill level will decline if NFL changes offseason
Entering his 11th season in the league, Carr has a ton of experience going through offseasons. That’s why he confidently claimed that players’ skills would decrease if this change was made. He explained that without OTAs taking place in the current structure, players would have less time on task, leading to an overall decline in ability.
Carr believes the current structure allows everyone to stay sharpe, while also providing well-needed breaks. If things changed, players would have a longer break, but they’d also be challenged with an even longer season, essentially going nonstop from June to January, which Carr also sees as a problem.
Long agreed with Carr’s point, and they also talked about how challenging this would even be for coaches, and especially young players. Their sentiments echoed what many current and former players have been saying. That makes the entire situation interesting, because it begs the question: which players have been advocating for this change? The league will wait to see if it’s ever actually proposed, and if the change will be implemented.
