League year begins differently for Seahawks, NFL because of COVID-19 pandemic
Normally, the start of the NFL league year and official start of free agency bring a flurry of teams confirming moves.
Our world, of course, is not normal right now.
The COVID-19 disease from the coronavirus pandemic has shut down players from traveling by plane to team facilities, per a league memo to the Seahawks and all 31 other teams.
Typically, players fly to team headquarters to take a physical examination with clubs’ doctors. Those physicals are required before a team’s signing of a free agent or trade becomes official. Most teams, such as the Seahawks, don’t announce deals and trades until they are official, that is, after the player passes his physical.
So Wednesday’s 1 p.m. start of the league year in free agency came and went without the usual burst of official announcements of transactions.
It wasn’t the Seahawks but media reports that broke the news Seattle was bringing back defensive end Bruce Irvin, the team’s former first-round draft choice from their Super Bowl years, on a free-agent contract. Same with the agreement Seattle struck with free agent offensive tackle Brandon Shell, previously of the New York Jets.
The Seahawks issued a statement after news of the agreements with Irvin and Shell, explaining why they weren’t announcing them.
Some teams, such as the Arizona Cardinals with their trade for All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from Houston, were more coy. Arizona put out media reports on its trade in lieu of officially confirming it.
The league is making exceptions of allowing players and teams to agree to a physical exam by a neutral doctor at a site other than team facilities. That’s according to ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum, the former general manager of the New York Jets and executive for the Miami Dolphins.
Tannenbaum wrote on his Twitter account Wednesday: “Speaking 2 people around the league, physicals on new contracts will be handled 1of 2 ways;
“Players will sign contracts and payments in those contracts will be conditioned on a physical in the future.
“Player & Club agree to a neutral physician for the player 2 take his physical.”
Yet another reason the Seahawks and the official result of their quest to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney may remain delayed.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 2:19 PM.
