Voting on a new NFL collective bargaining agreement passed on Sunday morning and, as it stands currently, the new league year and the beginning of free agency is still set for 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
NFL Players Association executive committee member Lorenzo Alexander, however, believes the start to free agency should be pushed back due to the worldwide concerns surrounding COVID-19, also known as the new coronavirus .
"I think [you should] push it back, because obviously there's some things that are bigger than football," Alexander told Andrew Siciliano Sunday on NFL Network. "And obviously that's the safety of everybody and their well-being. Even though, you know, being in the prime shape of my life, I don't want to expose myself, my family, my parents or anybody that I know that has pre-existing conditions around me. I think if you set it back for everybody it really doesn't have an impact on somebody having a competitive advantage, in that sense."
Alexander, who recently retired after a 13-year career, stressed that a postponement would be the right thing to do in lieu of what's going on for the world at-large with well-being being the top priority when considering the events ahead.
The NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams on Friday instructing clubs to halt pre-draft visits to team facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and many NFL teams have pulled coaches and scouts off the road as well.
"I think we need [to be] weary of the times that we're in and put things in proper perspective and that is making sure that we're all safe," he said. "So just push it back with the idea of making sure that player safety is first as well as our communities and our families that we're impacting, as well."
To that point, Alexander said that the league, as of Sunday morning, had yet to approach the NFLPA in regards to pushing back the beginning of free agency. However, Alexander stressed that certain matters go beyond collective bargaining and are simple situations of doing what is in the best interest of everyone involved.
"There's some things that are common sense and the right thing to do," Alexander said. "In this case, the right thing to do is to push it back."