The preseason is traditionally the first time that NFL fans get to see how their teams look in real games before a new season, but the New York Giants and Jets could end up not playing a preseason at all. The alternative seems to be two games, compared to the normal four.
The news is being reported by Pro Football Talk and has been reported by other sources too by now. According to the early reports, it’s the league that’s decided on this so far. That doesn’t mean that the player’s association has went along with these plans, however.
The NFL has decided to cut the preseason in half. NFL Media reports that the NFL Players Association has yet to sign off on this. Which makes sense, because the NFLPA hasn’t signed off on anything, including the league’s protocol for facility and locker-room virus safety.
The NFLPA and the NFL still have multiple issues to work out and it remains to be seen what the player’s association’s stance is on the length of the preseason. With training camp not starting until late July, the timeline between that and the regular season could be awkward if the preseason is played. The regular season, after all, is set to begin during only the second week in September, which doesn’t leave time for a long preseason.
While the expectation for weeks has been the NFL goes to two preseason games, the NFLPA hasn’t signed off. and some in union leadership continue to question whether it’s smart to play ANY preseason games, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Board of reps call Thursday. Stay tuned.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 1, 2020
If the league does end up having no preseason, that will make the start of the season all the more interesting for both teams in New York. The Giants have a new head coach and many changes, while the Jets have a coach on the hot seat. Neither team will know just how their new additions and strategy will pan out until the regular season, if there’s no preseason to give any early indications.
But then again, preseason results generally aren’t accurate when it comes to predicting the course of the regular season. We may just have to wait until September to see both New York teams in action once again.