Will the New England Patriots host the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13?
That's when the Patriots are scheduled to begin their 2020 season, as the NFL has yet to alter its schedule in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
But after the NFL Players Association urged players to stop working out together following a rash of positive COVID-19 tests, there's growing skepticism about the league starting on time. And that skepticism apparently has spread to the executive ranks.
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Several NFL teams "have wanted the NFL season pushed back" to later date, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported Monday, who shared direct quotes from two NFL executives.
"I’m big on pushing back," one executive told Breer, while another said, "We need to push back the start."
As Breer pointed out, the NFL could opt to delay the start of the season until October and move the Super Bowl to later in February. That would buy the league more time to see how other professional sports leagues fare in their restart plans -- the NBA, NHL and Major League Soccer all are expected to resume their seasons in July and August -- and if college football programs can successful begin their seasons in September and August.
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The NFL has been adamant about keeping its 2020 schedule intact -- training camps still are set for late July -- but at some point, the coronavirus will force the league to make a decision about whether it can safely hold a season.
At the very least, delaying Opening Weekend would buy the NFL a few more weeks in making that decision. But it likely won't quell the concerns of players like Devin and Jason McCourty, who both admitted Sunday they have serious concerns about a 2020 NFL season.