The Denver Broncos concluded 2024 organized team activities earlier this month and if the NFL Players Union has its way, those OTAs might have been the final installment conducted in the current format.
The NFLPA has proposed changing the offseason calendar by essentially eliminating OTAs in the spring and starting training camp earlier with a longer ramp-up period beginning in mid-June or early July.
Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked about the proposed schedule change earlier this month.
“It’s a topic every year that gets brought up,” Payton said on June 4. “Is that three, four, five years from now? I don’t know. I try to focus on the things that are like — when you get older and you hear those things, you’re just like, ‘All right. I don’t need to worry about that right now.’
“Ultimately, you’re going to have a period of time where the players are working prior to the season, and you’re going to have a time where they’re gone. I think I have a grasp as to what the proposal might look like. It just is what it is. I’ll worry about that when we get there.”
If approved, the new format could take effect as early as 2025, but Payton’s focused on the present. Ironically, the NFLPA’s pitch has been met with some resistance from the players the union represents. No change is imminent, but it is being discussed, and the NFL’s offseason schedule might look different in the future. Payton will deal with any potential changes when they happen.
