NFL free agency went on despite coronavirus, but there have been complications
Among them are Tom Brady's pending contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tom Brady’s deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers remains in place but was unannounced as of Thursday afternoon. Even a six-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and all-time great must deal with the disruptions to the NFL free agency process occurring because of travel restrictions imposed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
While the dealmaking has proceeded as normal in free agency, there have been complications for teams, agents and players since the NFL and the NFL Players Association opted against stopping the league’s offseason business this week, even while other sports that are in season have shut down.
In Brady’s case, he announced his departure from the New England Patriots via social media Tuesday morning. The negotiating window for free agents had opened Monday at noon Eastern time after the league and the NFLPA did not agree Sunday to a postponement.
By Tuesday evening, Brady had a contract agreement with the Buccaneers essentially in place. The deal apparently will pay him $60 million over two seasons. Brady passed up a basically identical offer from the Los Angeles Chargers, preferring to remain on the East Coast and play for Buccaneers Coach Bruce Arians, known as a guru for prominent NFL quarterbacks.
But the deal was not announced Tuesday night. It was not announced Wednesday, even after the formal opening of the free agent market at 4 p.m. Players are prohibited from traveling to visit teams and undergo physicals. Teams are prohibited from traveling to meet with players. The NFL did tell teams that they could arrange for a player to undergo a physical in the player’s home region.
The owners’ labor committee was said to have favored a delay to the start of the league year and free agency, but it could not get the NFLPA to agree, according to people on the league side. The NFLPA had a different version of events, with a person on that side telling The Washington Post that the two sides made a joint decision to move forward.
Teams were told in a memo sent Tuesday night by the league office that they cannot announce contract agreements that remain pending the results of a physical.
“This is not permitted,” the league’s memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Post, said. “As a reminder, clubs may not publicly announce that they have signed a player unless the club has executed an NFL Player Contract with that player.”
Some teams used creative means Wednesday to get around that prohibition. The Chicago Bears announced their trade for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles – sort of. The team cited reports by the league-owned NFL Network that it had traded for Foles.
“NFL policy currently prohibits teams from making any official announcements,” the Bears said.
Other teams made similar quasi-announcements of their moves. The Baltimore Ravens said they wouldn’t be formally announcing any of the moves they had lined up.
“In compliance with a recent memo sent by the NFL Management Council, we will withhold official announcement of any personnel moves until prospective players have safely executed a physical examination and signed a contract,” Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta said in a written statement Wednesday.
The league eased that restriction Thursday, informing teams that they could announce free agent moves if there was an agreement and a written contract had been sent to the agent and player.
There are some cases in which the restrictions are affecting the business maneuvering. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has had two shoulder surgeries in recent years and is coming off a 2019 season cut short by a foot injury. Some teams might be reluctant to move forward with Newton without the involvement of their own medical staffs. The Panthers have granted Newton, a former league MVP, permission to seek a trade. Carolina agreed to a deal with free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to replace Newton.
Some teams now might wait to see whether Newton is released by the Panthers. Speculation linked the Bears to Newton before they traded for Foles. The Foles trade highlighted another consideration for teams in the current environment. Some Bears coaches had worked with Foles with other teams. That could be a key consideration, given that teams’ offseason programs have been suspended indefinitely. Bridgewater has familiarity with new Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, a former New Orleans Saints assistant.
In Tom Brady’s case, he could face a more difficult transition in Tampa, learning a new offensive system and adjusting to new teammates with little to no offseason work before training camp. But that apparently won’t stop Brady and the Buccaneers from moving forward. According to one person who had been updated on the situation, arrangements were being made for Brady to undergo a physical off site, potentially allowing for the contract to be formally completed and announced. ESPN reported that the physical would occur Thursday in New York.
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