NFL working on deal to move 2014 NFL Draft to May (1 Viewer)

[Faust]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...working-on-deal-to-move-2014-nfl-draft-to-may

NFL working on deal to move 2014 NFL Draft to May

By Gregg Rosenthal

Around The League Editor

The NFL's effort to change its offseason calendar is starting to make some progress.

NFL.com's Albert Breer reported Monday that the NFL and NFL Players Association are working toward a deal to move the 2014 NFL Draft to May. It likely would start as a one-year trial before deciding if the May move makes sense. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported that the likely target start date for the 2014 draft is May 15.

Pushing the draft back to May is something Breer reported weeks ago. But it's probably happening in 2014 because of a scheduling snafu. The Radio City Rockettes show "The Spring Spectacular" is scheduled to be held at Radio City Music Hall in late April, when the draft usually is held.

"We're actually getting bumped by the Easter Bunny. They're going to have an Easter show. We'll be prepared for that," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell previously said on "The Rich Eisen Podcast."

Rapoport reported that everything else on the NFL calendar probably would stay the same in 2014 at this stage. No other league calendar changes are yet agreed upon or imminent.

"None of that has been decided," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told Around The League in an email Monday.

The league also has considered moving the date of the NFL Scouting Combine and the start of the league year.

Breer reported that Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith still have not met to have serious discussions on moving the draft. Breer pointed out, though, that NFL can move events like the draft without union approval, but it cannot change the start of the league year.

Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.

 

[Sarnoff]

I can see some attraction to moving it into TV's "Sweeps" period. However it does shorten the amount of time to come to contract terms with rookies. Having the pay scale in place certainly helps, but, we all know that the rookies need as much time in camp as possible. We already know how some holdouts have seriously harmed their entire professional careers by showing up late to camp. I'd hate to see it becoming more of a problem.

 

[loqutis]

From a selfish standpoint, sooner the better for me. Also, the midwest weather gets much nicer up here in May so people go outside, instead of watching TV.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Seems like that would hurt rookies. 1 less month to have the playbook, be in the team's conditioning program, rookie OTAs later, etc. It's not HUGE, but I certainly think it would make things tougher on incoming rooks to win jobs and be 100% ready to go.

 

[GregR]

Pushing the draft back to May is something Breer reported weeks ago. But it's probably happening in 2014 because of a scheduling snafu. The Radio City Rockettes show "The Spring Spectacular" is scheduled to be held at Radio City Music Hall in late April, when the draft usually is held.

"We're actually getting bumped by the Easter Bunny. They're going to have an Easter show. We'll be prepared for that," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell previously said on "The Rich Eisen Podcast."

I'm far from a conspiracy theorist, but it seems unlikely that Radio City Music Hall wouldn't check with the NFL first before scheduling something over top of the annual date of one of the most publicized events they host.I suspect the NFL probably instigated it so the players would be more likely to agree to the scheduling change.

 

[meyerj31]

Pushing the draft back to May is something Breer reported weeks ago. But it's probably happening in 2014 because of a scheduling snafu. The Radio City Rockettes show "The Spring Spectacular" is scheduled to be held at Radio City Music Hall in late April, when the draft usually is held.

"We're actually getting bumped by the Easter Bunny. They're going to have an Easter show. We'll be prepared for that," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell previously said on "The Rich Eisen Podcast."

I'm far from a conspiracy theorist, but it seems unlikely that Radio City Music Hall wouldn't check with the NFL first before scheduling something over top of the annual date of one of the most publicized events they host.I suspect the NFL probably instigated it so the players would be more likely to agree to the scheduling change.

Huh? Only someone infatuated with the NFL would make a statement like that. Radio City Music Hall doesn't give a jack if it never hosted the NFL draft again. Sure, it's some revenue for a few days, but I seriously doubt that it is the most prestigious event held there. C'mon man. They're holding the Tony awards there in a couple weeks. I'm sure they'd rather lose the NFL draft than the Tony awards.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Pushing the draft back to May is something Breer reported weeks ago. But it's probably happening in 2014 because of a scheduling snafu. The Radio City Rockettes show "The Spring Spectacular" is scheduled to be held at Radio City Music Hall in late April, when the draft usually is held.

"We're actually getting bumped by the Easter Bunny. They're going to have an Easter show. We'll be prepared for that," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell previously said on "The Rich Eisen Podcast."

I'm far from a conspiracy theorist, but it seems unlikely that Radio City Music Hall wouldn't check with the NFL first before scheduling something over top of the annual date of one of the most publicized events they host.I suspect the NFL probably instigated it so the players would be more likely to agree to the scheduling change.

The NFL doesn't need the union's permission to change the date of the draft. They do need permission to change the start of the league year. I'm not sure if they do or do not need permission to change the start of free agency. That may be tied to the start of the league year.

 

[GregR]

Pushing the draft back to May is something Breer reported weeks ago. But it's probably happening in 2014 because of a scheduling snafu. The Radio City Rockettes show "The Spring Spectacular" is scheduled to be held at Radio City Music Hall in late April, when the draft usually is held.

"We're actually getting bumped by the Easter Bunny. They're going to have an Easter show. We'll be prepared for that," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell previously said on "The Rich Eisen Podcast."

I'm far from a conspiracy theorist, but it seems unlikely that Radio City Music Hall wouldn't check with the NFL first before scheduling something over top of the annual date of one of the most publicized events they host.I suspect the NFL probably instigated it so the players would be more likely to agree to the scheduling change.

The NFL doesn't need the union's permission to change the date of the draft. They do need permission to change the start of the league year.I'm not sure if they do or do not need permission to change the start of free agency. That may be tied to the start of the league year.

They don't need agreement, but they want it. Given how contentious the two sides have been, wouldn't you rather walk in there with "we have a schedule conflict" as a big reason rather than just, "We'd like to change it"?

 

[GregR]

Pushing the draft back to May is something Breer reported weeks ago. But it's probably happening in 2014 because of a scheduling snafu. The Radio City Rockettes show "The Spring Spectacular" is scheduled to be held at Radio City Music Hall in late April, when the draft usually is held.

"We're actually getting bumped by the Easter Bunny. They're going to have an Easter show. We'll be prepared for that," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell previously said on "The Rich Eisen Podcast."

I'm far from a conspiracy theorist, but it seems unlikely that Radio City Music Hall wouldn't check with the NFL first before scheduling something over top of the annual date of one of the most publicized events they host.I suspect the NFL probably instigated it so the players would be more likely to agree to the scheduling change.

Huh? Only someone infatuated with the NFL would make a statement like that. Radio City Music Hall doesn't give a jack if it never hosted the NFL draft again. Sure, it's some revenue for a few days, but I seriously doubt that it is the most prestigious event held there. C'mon man. They're holding the Tony awards there in a couple weeks. I'm sure they'd rather lose the NFL draft than the Tony awards.

I said the NFL draft was one of their most publicized events. It has 3 days of television coverage including 2 nights in prime time. The first night alone drew 7.7 million viewers this year on two different networks, and over 20 million viewers tuned in at one point. Last year's Tony Awards drew 1 million.

I'll stand by my statement that I don't imagine RCMH would schedule a Rockettes show for that weekend without checking with the NFL first. I also don't imagine they'd schedule a Rockette's show for the weekend the Tony Awards are normally held, either, without calling to check first. Not unless they stand to make a huge amount of money for such a show compared to what the NFL or the Tony Awards pay for the space.

 

[Raiderfan32904]

Seems like that would hurt rookies. 1 less month to have the playbook, be in the team's conditioning program, rookie OTAs later, etc. It's not HUGE, but I certainly think it would make things tougher on incoming rooks to win jobs and be 100% ready to go.

I agree that it will hurt rookies the most. There really isn't an offseason for them their final year in college. They go straight from their bowl games, to the combine, pro days, private workouts. All of it leading to the draft. They need a break by the time they get drafted. Extending the process puts more physical and emotional stress on their rookie development. It's no wonder rookies hit that 'rookie wall' with the 17 week season coupled with the crazy rookie offseason. I hope they keep the draft the same. It's a good format as it is. Give the kids a break, and let's see them explode onto the scene in September full strength and ready to go.

 

[dgreen]

Pushing the draft back to May is something Breer reported weeks ago. But it's probably happening in 2014 because of a scheduling snafu. The Radio City Rockettes show "The Spring Spectacular" is scheduled to be held at Radio City Music Hall in late April, when the draft usually is held.

"We're actually getting bumped by the Easter Bunny. They're going to have an Easter show. We'll be prepared for that," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell previously said on "The Rich Eisen Podcast."

I'm far from a conspiracy theorist, but it seems unlikely that Radio City Music Hall wouldn't check with the NFL first before scheduling something over top of the annual date of one of the most publicized events they host.I suspect the NFL probably instigated it so the players would be more likely to agree to the scheduling change.

Huh? Only someone infatuated with the NFL would make a statement like that. Radio City Music Hall doesn't give a jack if it never hosted the NFL draft again. Sure, it's some revenue for a few days, but I seriously doubt that it is the most prestigious event held there. C'mon man. They're holding the Tony awards there in a couple weeks. I'm sure they'd rather lose the NFL draft than the Tony awards.

I said the NFL draft was one of their most publicized events. It has 3 days of television coverage including 2 nights in prime time. The first night alone drew 7.7 million viewers this year on two different networks, and over 20 million viewers tuned in at one point. Last year's Tony Awards drew 1 million.

I'll stand by my statement that I don't imagine RCMH would schedule a Rockettes show for that weekend without checking with the NFL first. I also don't imagine they'd schedule a Rockette's show for the weekend the Tony Awards are normally held, either, without calling to check first. Not unless they stand to make a huge amount of money for such a show compared to what the NFL or the Tony Awards pay for the space.

Yeah, a place like Radio City doesn't have a "scheduling snafu." They don't have some minimum wage intern in charge of scheduling.

Also, if the NFL really didn't want to change their date, they'd go to one of a million venues that would jump at the chance to host the draft.

 

[JHuber77]

Vegas would be the perfect place to hold the draft. Wide open space, plenty of hotels, parking. Who doesn't like going to Vegas for the weekend? You could also see potential draft picks interactions outside of football. Problem solved. You could hold it at the Thomas Mack center, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, etc etc

 

[cobalt_27]

I can see some attraction to moving it into TV's "Sweeps" period. However it does shorten the amount of time to come to contract terms with rookies. Having the pay scale in place certainly helps, but, we all know that the rookies need as much time in camp as possible. We already know how some holdouts have seriously harmed their entire professional careers by showing up late to camp. I'd hate to see it becoming more of a problem.

Are rookie holdouts really an issue now? Seems like that's been pretty well cleaned up with recent changes from the new CBA.

 

[dgreen]

I can see some attraction to moving it into TV's "Sweeps" period. However it does shorten the amount of time to come to contract terms with rookies. Having the pay scale in place certainly helps, but, we all know that the rookies need as much time in camp as possible. We already know how some holdouts have seriously harmed their entire professional careers by showing up late to camp. I'd hate to see it becoming more of a problem.

Are rookie holdouts really an issue now? Seems like that's been pretty well cleaned up with recent changes from the new CBA.

Yeah, not as big of a deal anymore. And when they were a big deal, the cause wasn't "We just didn't have enough time to work out a deal because of the draft date." Many negotiations would start maybe a week before training camp.

 

[Faust]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...oger-goodell-2014-nfl-draft-to-be-held-in-may

Roger Goodell: 2014 NFL Draft to be held in May

By Gregg Rosenthal

Around The League Editor

The NFL draft is staying at Radio City Music Hall in 2014, sometime in May. After that, all bets are off.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell indicated Tuesday that the league is taking a harder look at moving out of the venue after 2014, and possibly out of New York entirely.

"If we want to move the draft back into the April period, we're going to have to look at other alternatives. Other cities, other venues," Goodell said at the NFL Spring Meeting.

Goodell confirmed the draft will be moved back to May because of a scheduling conflict; it could May 8-10 or May 15-17. Radio City Music Hall now is planning a spring show that could conflict with the draft's timing for years to come. Goodell said he wouldn't expect to revisit New York locations the league has used in the past.

"We haven't found the location in New York that meets our requirements and where we think we can continue to grow the event," Goodell said. "If we do, that will be one of the alternatives. I think one of the things we have to do at some point is start looking at other cities."

I love the draft in New York. It just makes sense. But economic realities -- and some wayward Rockettes -- matter a lot more.

Here's what else we learned at Goodell's press briefing in Boston:

1. The league will award Super Bowl LII next year in May.

2. The focus at the NFL Spring Meeting was clear: It was on the stadiums. We knew Super Bowl L and LI were awarded to San Francisco and Houston, respectively, in large part because of their new stadiums, but the conversation went beyond that.

"We spent a great deal of time on the stadium experience," Goodell told reporters Tuesday.

The league also approved a multiyear agreement with Microsoft in an effort to enhance the game for teams and fans. The league approved the Atlanta Falcons' new stadium, and renovations for the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers' homes. Goodell wants to "solve the wi-fi" problem around the league.

Stadiums that are not state of the art, like Miami's Sun Life Stadium, are being left behind.

"I did have a few owners who expressed to me privately that the condition of the stadium was an important factor," Goodell said in reference to South Florida's failed Super Bowl bids.

3. The NFL sees "great benefits" in moving the NFL Scouting Combine to later and potentially could move the start of the league year. Goodell said the league currently is in negotiations with the NFL Players Association about the issue.

Goodell confirmed it's fair to say only the starting date of the league year has to be negotiated with the union.

4. Goodell said there will be continuing discussions on expanding the NFL playoffs, but those talks didn't take place this week.

Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.

 

[Faust]

The NFL draft is staying at Radio City Music Hall in 2014, sometime in May. After that, all bets are off.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell indicated Tuesday that the league is taking a harder look at moving out of the venue after 2014, and possibly out of New York entirely.

"If we want to move the draft back into the April period, we're going to have to look at other alternatives. Other cities, other venues," Goodell said at the NFL Spring Meeting.

Goodell confirmed the draft will be moved back to May because of a scheduling conflict; it could May 8-10 or May 15-17. Radio City Music Hall now is planning a spring show that could conflict with the draft's timing for years to come. Goodell said he wouldn't expect to revisit New York locations the league has used in the past.

"We haven't found the location in New York that meets our requirements and where we think we can continue to grow the event," Goodell said. "If we do, that will be one of the alternatives. I think one of the things we have to do at some point is start looking at other cities."

I love the draft in New York. It just makes sense. But economic realities -- and some wayward Rockettes -- matter a lot more.

Colin Cowherd suggested this morning to give the NFL Draft to the city that has the team with the # 1 overall pick each year. Would be funny the first time that the # 1 pick is traded when the clock goes live.

 

[meyerj31]

Vegas would be the perfect place to hold the draft. Wide open space, plenty of hotels, parking. Who doesn't like going to Vegas for the weekend? You could also see potential draft picks interactions outside of football. Problem solved. You could hold it at the Thomas Mack center, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, etc etc

LOL there is no way that the NFL is going to bring a bunch of 21 year old soon-to-be millionaires to Las Vegas for the weekend. That has disaster written all over it.

 

[Faust]

Vegas would be the perfect place to hold the draft. Wide open space, plenty of hotels, parking. Who doesn't like going to Vegas for the weekend? You could also see potential draft picks interactions outside of football. Problem solved. You could hold it at the Thomas Mack center, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, etc etc

LOL there is no way that the NFL is going to bring a bunch of 21 year old soon-to-be millionaires to Las Vegas for the weekend. That has disaster written all over it.

At least with the Vegas option, we would likely have a better idea of which players are the future problem children quicker!

 

[msommer]

The NFL is allergic to all things Vegas because of gambling. That's the one place it will never take place.

As for seeing rookies party, I'm sure New York is capable of inducing a rookie or two to hit the town, if they were so inclined...

 

[Faust]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000207063/article/2014-nfl-draft-set-for-may-810-at-radio-city-music-hall

2014 NFL Draft set for May 8-10 at Radio City Music Hall

By Gregg Rosenthal

Around The League Editor

The NFL draft is moving two weeks later than usual, at least for 2014.

The league announced Tuesday that the 2014 NFL Draft will be held May 8 through 10 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The league also was considering moving the draft to May 15 through 17 because of scheduling issues at Radio City Music Hall, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed last week at the NFL Spring Meeting.

"The decision was made after discussions with club personnel and key NFL business partners," the league said in a statement Tuesday. "No decision has been made regarding the dates of the NFL Draft in 2015 and beyond. A variety of alternatives are being explored, teams were told, including holding the draft at Radio City or at other locations, either in the New York area or in other cities."

There have been discussions about dramatically changing the NFL's offseason calendar, including the dates of the NFL Scouting Combine and the start of free agency, but those possible changes won't happen until 2015 at the earliest. The NFL announced the 2014 dates of those events, which are at the same time as previous years.

The combine will be held Feb. 18 through 25 in Indianapolis. The new league year and free agency will begin March 11, 2014. The NFL Annual Meeting will be held in Orlando, Fla., on March 23 through 26.

NFL.com's Albert Breer reported that the NFL's original preference was for the combine to happen in March, with the league year beginning in April and the NFL draft in May. However, no agreement was reached with the NFL Players Association on changing the start of the league year.

The NFL's release pointed out that the change in the date of the draft won't have any effect on when rookies will be able to report to their teams or the length of the offseason program in 2014. The league also doesn't plan to reduce the number of practice days for 2015.

This looks like a "trial" year for the draft in May. If it goes well, we can expect the already-long "draft season" to add a few more mock drafts.

Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.

 

[WampusCat43]

What would the NFL really gain by having the draft during sweeps week? Don't they already know the audience figures? Seems silly to throw it up against every other station's best programming.

 

[Faust]

Report: NFL considering multiple cities in each year for NFL draft

By Will Brinson | NFL Writer

Whether it's on the calendar, on the map or in television ratings, the NFL is always looking to expand its footprint. By moving the 2014 NFL Draft into May, the league handled two (calendar, ratings) of those things. And it might be making a move for the third sooner than later.

Don Banks of Sports Illustrated has a report Tuesday about a very bizarre potential setup for the draft in the future that would involve multiple cities.

Banks cites league sources who say "the NFL has tasked three internal study groups to consider options that include holding the three-day draft in three different NFL cities in the same year."

Another option could be rotating the draft the way the Super Bowl currently rotates, moving to a different city each year.

Whatever the option it sounds like the NFL is heavily considering making the draft a more fan-centric event. Currently fans can get about as close to the stage as the 30th row or so; the orchestra section at Radio City Music Hall is filled with team reps and the media are in the next section of rows with fans able to sit/stand behind them. Banks reports the league is considering simply letting teams send in their picks from their respective home bases, a move that makes much more sense in today's technology-filled world.

It also makes more sense, if you're the NFL and you like money, to move to a bigger venue and charge a nominal fee for fans to attend the draft. $10 per fan to fill up the Barclay's Center? That's not going to make or break the league, but it's definitely an increase on the bottom line.

What doesn't make as much sense is the idea of moving the draft around to multiple cities in one weekend. For instance, Banks make the example of the first night of the draft going down in Chicago, then being moved to Detroit for rounds two and three and then heads to Minneapolis for rounds four thru seven. Those are all three NFC North cities -- Green Bay gets hosed in this scenario of course -- and it appears the NFL would plan a draft tour of sorts to maximize fan experience. (You could go Charlotte, New Orleans, Atlanta as another example.)

All of this is, Banks reports, in the "preliminary" stage. So don't bank on Goodell rolling into your town next year or anything; the draft is locked for New York City and May in 2014. Just don't be shocked if the NFL blows the whole thing up come the year after that.

Geography's at stake and it wouldn't hurt the bottom line either.