With other leagues shuttered, NFL continues march to new league year

The day after the sports world stood still, the NFL continued chugging along with some of its offseason business Friday.

The Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens used the franchise tag on players, and the Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans cut veterans in advance of the 2020 calendar year opening next week.

As the only major sports league not playing or preparing for a season, the NFL has been the least impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

One day after cancelling its annual meeting, the NFL announced Friday it is prohibiting teams from conducting pre-draft visits at team facilities, and several clubs, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, temporarily have eliminated travel by coaches and scouts.

The league, however, has given no indication the start of the calendar year, scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, will be pushed back because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Any delay the NFL has faced in its offseason transactions — the deadline for teams to use franchise and transition tags has been changed twice — has been because of uncertainty over the new collective bargaining agreement and not coronavirus fears.

Players now have until 11:59 p.m. Saturday to cast their votes on the CBA, which requires a majority of yes votes to gain approval from a membership of approximately 1,200.

The vote will determine how some teams, including the Steelers, conduct business next week. The salary cap is scheduled to be approximately $200 million next year and could increase slightly if the CBA is passed. If the CBA is passed, teams such as the Steelers that have little salary cap room can begin restructuring contracts of veteran players to provide cap relief. Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward is a prime example for the Steelers, who are projected to be $2 million over the salary cap.

If the CBA is voted down, the 2020 season will be played under the old rules, which prohibits teams from structuring salaries beyond the final league year by more than 30%. For the Steelers, who are trying to squeeze an anticipated $16.2 million franchise tag figure for outside linebacker Bud Dupree under the salary cap, they would have to release veteran players.

Guard Ramon Foster and backup outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo are the most likely salary-cap casualties, but the Steelers might need to also jettison inside linebacker Mark Barron or decline tight end Vance McDonald’s $5.5 million contract option.

On Monday at 11:59 a.m., after the CBA vote is known, teams must decide whether to use the franchise or transition tag on players. The Chargers (tight end Hunter Henry), Ravens (outside linebacker Matthew Judon), Jaguars (pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue) and Broncos (safety Justin Simmons) decided not to wait any longer and used the tag Friday.

One minute later, at noon, the legal tampering period will open for NFL teams. That opens the two-day window in which teams can negotiate with free agents. The Steelers are rarely active early in free agency, but they stand to lose nose tackle Javon Hargrave and possibly backup interior offensive lineman B.J. Finney.

Free agents can begin signing contracts at 4 p.m. Wednesday when the new league season opens. Players with contract options must have them exercised by this time or they will become free agents. Teams also must offer tenders to their restricted free agents. For the Steelers, the list features right tackle Matt Feiler, slot cornerback Mike Hilton, tackle Zach Banner and safety Jordan Dangerfield.

With the coronavirus pandemic causing the upstart XFL to suspend its season, the league announced its players are free to immediately sign with NFL teams. Had the XFL season continued, its players would have been bound to their contracts until after the league’s championship game April 26.

The Steelers have 62 players under contract. Factoring in their six draft picks, the Steelers have 22 spots open on their 90-man offseason roster for veteran free agents, undrafted college free agents and street free agents, such as those from the XFL.

Last year, the Steelers signed a handful of players after the Alliance of American Football folded, including safety Kameron Kelly.