Prior to the release of the 2020 NFL schedule, there were reports and rumors that the NFL planned to fill the early portions of the schedule with games that could easily be canceled. That didn’t happen.

Instead, the NFL put together a strong slate of Week One games, showing that the NFL is fully planning to start the season on time, rather than potentially delay the start of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2020 NFL season opens with the traditional Thursday night game hosted by the Super Bowl champions. The NFL scheduled Houston to visit Kansas City, a prime time matchup between two of the league’s best young quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. That’s exactly the kind of showcase game the NFL would use to start the season with a bang — not the kind of game the NFL would schedule if it feared Week One wasn’t going to happen.

Also in prime time in Week One is Cowboys at Rams on Sunday Night Football. The Cowboys are the league’s biggest TV draw, and they’re opening the new stadium in Los Angeles. That’s a big game for the league.

Among the Sunday afternoon games in Week One is Buccaneers at Saints, with Tom Brady facing Drew Brees. Brady’s arrival in the NFC South makes the two Bucs-Saints games among the marquee games of this NFL season.

And contrary to reports early this week that the NFL planned to open the season with AFC vs. NFC games that could easily be canceled without affecting the playoff race, the Week One schedule is filled with divisional matchups and other games between teams that are expected to battle for playoff spots. Only two Week One games, Raiders-Panthers and Steelers-Giants, match the AFC against the NFC.

If we’ve learned anything in the last four months, it’s that a lot can change in the next four months. But right now, the NFL is setting up its schedule with the plan that it will start Week One on time.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, apparently writing with league guidance:

There are not many trapdoors or hidden tricks in the 2020 NFL schedule released Thursday night, which is in line with how the league has conducted business — much of it virtual — this offseason.

However, there are certain levers the league can pull, the most significant of which is tied to Super Bowl LV.

If the league does need scheduling help that science cannot provide for the coronavirus pandemic, and delays to the season’s start eventually become necessary, sources around the league indicated that Super Bowl LV could be pushed back by weeks or even a couple of months, potentially, while not having to make significant matchup changes to the regular-season schedule.

The option of the Super Bowl being moved back provides the NFL with the flexibility it needs, though it is not in the league’s plans today, and it prefers not to have any discussion about it.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell warned teams on Wednesday in a memo sent to team presidents and executives that he doesn’t want anyone engaging in any hypotheticals about the coming season, and as of now, the games will go on as scheduled, which includes Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday, Feb. 7.

But during a pandemic, there must be hypotheticals that bring flexibility.

Consider this option: Say the start of the season had to be pushed back four weeks — again, not the league’s plan and not what it wants, but a hypothetical — then the NFL simply could push the Super Bowl back four weeks. It then could take regular-season Weeks 1 through 4 and turn them into, essentially, regular-season Weeks 18, 19, 20 and 21.

If the start of the season were pushed back two months, then the first half of the schedule simply could be moved to the back half of the schedule — assuming the Super Bowl could be pushed back for the corresponding period.

It’s not unlike what the league did with a similar but shorter model that unfolded during the 2001 season because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue postponed the regular season by one week, moving those regular-season games to the back half of the schedule and eliminating the bye week between conference championship games and the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl wasn’t moved off its scheduled date, but the league was able to quickly amend a set schedule

As of now, there are no plans to push back Super Bowl LV, and it has not been an active discussion, even if it could become that in the weeks to come.

“We’re totally focused on Feb. 7 with the regular season kicking off as scheduled,” Rob Higgins, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee, said Thursday. “If adjustments needed to take place, we would be prepared to do that. But we haven’t been instructed to do that whatsoever.”

The league already has certain cushions built into the schedule. The Pro Bowl could be dropped, buying an extra week for the NFL. Every team shares the same bye week as its Week 2 opponent, according to team sources who reviewed the 2020 schedule on Thursday. This approach was the formula the league successfully deployed during the lockout season of 2011, giving the league further flexibility on an additional week.

But make no mistake about this current schedule: The weekly matchups are set. The reality, however, is that any one of them could serve as the league’s opening week, even though the league plans to plant a flag on Thursday night, Sept. 10, with the regular-season opener in Kansas City, Missouri, between the Houston Texans and defending champion Chiefs. But if the season were hypothetically pushed back four weeks, then Week 5 could serve as the NFL’s opening week, with the first four weeks being tacked on to the back end of the schedule, giving the league the 16-game regular season it desires.

A potential delay could be longer, but the concept is the same: The Super Bowl could very well provide the flexibility the NFL needs. And if a 16-game season cannot be realized, the NFL might look at a 14-game season, in which the first two weeks of the regular season would become the final two weeks of the regular season and Weeks 3 and 4 would be dropped. There are no divisional games scheduled in Weeks 3 or 4, which happened in Weeks 2 and 4 of the 2011 lockout season and is another built-in clue that the league is prepared if it has to delay the season.

So there are plenty of potential options for the league to explore when it feels it needs to, even if it insists it is not doing that now.

As for the preseason, the NFL is preparing to shorten it to three games as early as next season, when the regular season grows to 17 games. If a shortened preseason kicks off this summer instead, as many now expect, it hardly would be a significant loss.

But for now, the focus is on a 16-game regular season and the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 in Tampa.

We will go through each team’s schedule over the next few days, a division at a time.

– – –

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com thinks there is some reason that a presidential debate has to be held on Thursday:

Of the seven days of the week, the NFL plays games on three nights. Yet again, however, presidential debates will conflict with a pair of prime-time NFL games.

Two Thursday Night Football games will be played against presidential debates. The October 15 game between the Chiefs and the Bills and the October 22 game between the Giants and Eagles conflict with the showdowns between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

The other presidential debate happens on Tuesday, September 29. The vice presidential debate occurs on Wednesday, October 7.

In 2016, presidential debates conflicted with a Sunday night game between the Giants and Packers, and a Monday night game between the Falcons and Saints. The ratings were not good, for either game.

As the debates hurt the ratings for the games, the games also eat into the ratings for the debates. Thus, it would have made far more sense for all debates to happen on a Tuesday or a Wednesday. Maybe by 2024 the Commission on Presidential Debates will figure this out.

Then again, if they didn’t figure it out between 2016 and 2020, they probably never will.

– – –

Here is Shiel Kapadia at The Athletic spotting the 13 “best” games on the schedule:

Let’s get the caveats out of the way first.

One, I have no idea whether the NFL is going to have a full regular season or when Week 1 will actually take place. But for the purposes of this exercise, we’ll proceed as if the season is going to start on time with the schedule that was announced Thursday night. There’s no other way to really do it.

Two, I tried not to use the same team over and over again even if it has a bunch of fun games on its schedule (I’m looking at you, Chiefs).

Three, if I didn’t list the team you root for in any of the games below, it’s because I find it boring and/or irrelevant.

Now that that’s all covered, let’s get to the 13 most interesting games on the NFL schedule.

1. Week 3: Chiefs at Ravens (Monday, Sept. 28, 8:15 p.m. ET)

Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson may be the two most exciting players in the NFL, so when they square off, it’s going to get the top spot. But it’s more than just the quarterbacks. Both teams are 24-8 in the regular season over the last two years. Vegas has the Chiefs as favorites to win the Super Bowl and the Ravens are second. The teams met in Week 3 last season, and Mahomes threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-28 victory. John Harbaugh took an analytical approach with his decision-making in that game, and even though the Ravens lost, he didn’t waver the rest of the season. Baltimore lost just once more in the next 14 weeks. It was a no-brainer to put on Monday night and has the potential to be the best game of the season. Hopefully, we get Mahomes versus Jackson at least once a year for the next decade.

2. Week 15: Chiefs at Saints (Sunday, Dec. 20, 4:25 p.m. ET)

The Week 11 matchup between the Chiefs and Rams in 2018 was probably the greatest regular-season game of that decade. The two 9-1 teams combined for 105 points, 1,001 yards, 14 touchdowns and 56 first downs. It’s the only game during the Super Bowl era in which both teams reached 50-plus points (the Rams won 54-51). Saints-Chiefs in 2020 has that kind of potential. Both teams had top-five offenses a year ago. Sean Payton and Andy Reid are two of the greatest offensive coaches of this era. It’s Mahomes at the peak of his powers against Drew Brees, who might be giving it one final shot. This one has the makings of a classic.

3. Week 1: Buccaneers at Saints (Sunday, Sept. 13, 4:25 p.m. ET)

It really wouldn’t have mattered who the Buccaneers were playing. Tom Brady in a new uniform was going to get Tampa Bay’s Week 1 game on this list. Here’s the best-case scenario for Brady. First possession: Chris Godwin leaves Janoris Jenkins in the dust with a double move, and Brady hits him for a 37-yard touchdown pass. Second possession: Brady is pressured but throws one up for grabs for Mike Evans, who outmuscles Marshon Lattimore and comes down with the jump-ball touchdown. With the Buccaneers holding a comfortable lead in the third quarter, Bruce Arians fixes himself a pina colada on the sideline. Rob Gronkowski fills a Gatorade bottle with vodka like he’s a college freshman. And the two pop into the blue medical tent for an impromptu happy hour as they wait for the game to be over. Afterward, Brady 2.0 emerges for his postgame news conference in a hoodie that has a picture of a goat on it. He cuts loose and talks about how much fun he had and about how the Saints didn’t even deserve to be on the same field as him. When pressed about how he plans to celebrate, Brady admits he might allow himself to have a dessert that contains dairy. The Bucs start off 1-0.

4. Week 9: Packers at 49ers (Thursday, Nov. 5, 8:20 p.m. ET)

It’s a rematch of last year’s NFC Championship Game, which frankly wasn’t very entertaining. But maybe this version will be better. There are a lot of possibilities for how this one could unfold. If Jimmy Garoppolo lights up the Packers, maybe we see Aaron Rodgers passive-aggressively mention afterward that San Francisco has really helped itself in recent years by using draft picks on wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. If Garoppolo plays poorly, maybe we get a “Should the 49ers trade for Rodgers after the season?” segment on “First Take.” Again, a lot of nonsense, a wide range of outcomes and many storylines that will likely annoy both fan bases. Good thing this one’s on Thursday night for the whole football world to enjoy.

5. Week 1: Dolphins at Patriots (Sunday, Sept. 13, 1 p.m. ET)

We’ve seen in recent weeks that there is more than enough material to fill an amazing 10-part documentary on Michael Jordan and the Bulls’ 1997-98 season. I don’t know if there’s a football equivalent, but on the short list of ideas has to be a series on Jarrett Stidham’s 2019 preseason. I, for one, am surprised the Patriots even let Brady play last year after the preseason Stidham had. Come to think of it, they should have gotten rid of Brady and Bill Belichick and let Stidham be a player-coach. They might have won the Super Bowl. The preseason performance was just that impressive.

In all seriousness, this will be our first chance to get a look at the Patriots post-Brady, and it could also be the debut of Tua Tagovailoa. If Stidham plays well, the other 31 fan bases can complain about how everything always works out for the Patriots. If he plays poorly, they can finally mock their Patriots fan friends for the first time in 20 years.

6. Week 16: Eagles at Cowboys (Sunday, Dec. 27, 4:25 p.m. ET)

William Hill has the Cowboys as slight favorites (plus-125) over the Eagles (plus-135) in the NFC East. There’s a pretty good chance this game could go a long way in determining who wins the division. Last year, the Week 16 matchup between the teams was essentially a division championship game. For the Eagles, I could see Carson Wentz weeping on the sideline as he watches Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup make catches all over the field for Dak Prescott. For the Cowboys, I could see Mike McCarthy viewing this as an opportunity to prove to the world he’s Mr. Analytics. Maybe he waits for the camera to zoom in on him in the fourth quarter before breaking out a TI-82 calculator to help him decide whether to go for it on fourth down. One way or another, there will be a lot at stake, and this game will entertain.

7. Week 7: Seahawks at Cardinals (Sunday, Oct. 25, 4:05 p.m. ET)

The Seahawks play crazy games every week, so really it was just a matter of choosing the right opponent. There’s a very good chance the Cardinals end up emerging as one of the best Red Zone Channel teams in the NFL. Kyler Murray throws a beautiful deep ball, they ranked 13th in offensive efficiency a year ago and they added DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason. Really, all of the NFC West matchups should be fun, but Murray versus Russell Wilson has a high ceiling in terms of entertainment value.

8. Week 14: Texans at Bears (Sunday, Dec. 13, 1 p.m. ET)

I know what you’re thinking: Why the &^%* is this game on the list? Allow me to explain. This has the potential to be the saddest game of the season for the two fan bases involved. Bears fans will be bombarded by stories during the week about how Chicago traded up for Mitch Trubisky and passed on Deshaun Watson. Texans fans, meanwhile, despise their coach as much as any fan base in the NFL. Consider the possibilities. Maybe Nick Foles gets injured, Trubisky comes in, and he rallies the Bears to victory. During the postgame handshake, Matt Nagy convinces Bill O’Brien to trade Watson for Trubisky straight-up. O’Brien thinks about it for a moment and then offers to throw in a 2024 first-round pick. See? Now you know why this game deserves to be on the list.

9. Week 16: Colts at Steelers (Sunday, Dec. 27, 1 p.m. ET)

If in the past year you’ve tweaked your back simply by getting out of bed or thought about the best way to trim your ear hair, this is your Super Bowl — two old guys going at it. It’ll feature 38-year-old Philip Rivers against 38-year-old Ben Roethlisberger. The truth is, both teams are fringe Super Bowl contenders if the quarterbacks can stay healthy. William Hill has the Colts and Steelers at plus-1200 to come out of the AFC. Only the Chiefs, Ravens, Bills and Patriots have better odds. This is a Dec. 27 game that could have major playoff implications.

10. Week 5: Bills at Titans (Sunday, Oct. 11, 1 p.m. ET)

This is a low-key really fun matchup if you are a football nerd. Expectations are high for the Bills after a busy offseason that included a blockbuster trade for Stefon Diggs, and the Titans are coming off a season in which they were one game away from the Super Bowl. The matchup between the Titans’ offense and the Bills’ defense will have All-22 junkies salivating. Bills coach Sean McDermott has become one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL and not many offensive coordinators were more creative last year than Tennessee’s Arthur Smith. Two teams with lofty expectations meet in an October matchup that could have playoff implications.

11. Week 2: Saints at Raiders (Monday, Sept. 21, 8:15 p.m. ET)

Even though we don’t know what it will look like or what travel restrictions will be in place, the Raiders’ first game in Las Vegas has to make the list. They’ll open their new digs with a matchup against the Saints. Overall, the Raiders have four prime-time home games on their schedule. For the foreseeable future, New Orleans and Las Vegas will battle for the title of “NFL city where opposing fans are most likely to be hungover at kickoff.”

12. Week 7: Browns at Bengals (Sunday, Oct. 25, 1 p.m. ET)

I learned my lesson last year and will try to avoid predicting good things for the Browns, but GM Andrew Berry got Baker Mayfield upgrades at both tackles, held on to Odell Beckham Jr. and added tight end Austin Hooper. Mayfield was very good as a rookie, stumbled last season and now has a strong supporting cast and what looks like a competent coaching staff to help him get back on track. Joe Burrow, meanwhile, will have had six games to adjust to the speed of the NFL and could be one of the biggest stories in the league by this point in the season.

13. Week 6: Lions at Jaguars (Sunday, Oct. 18, 1 p.m. ET)

I know the league has canceled international games for this season, but I say we still make the Lions and Jaguars start this one at 9 a.m. ET and pretend it’s being played in London. You’re obviously wondering why on earth I have this game on the list, and the explanation is simple: This could be a huge Tanking for Trevor (Lawrence) game. Ideally, they’d be playing in December, but Week 6 is generally when the two fan bases look ahead to next year anyway. The Jaguars are among the worst teams and they already have two first-round picks in 2021. Meanwhile, Matt Patricia and the Lions have won nine games in the past two years. Potential scenario: Gardner Minshew leads the Jaguars to a late comeback victory and the Lions go on to finish with the worst record. But Patricia and GM Bob Quinn convince ownership to give them another shot. Instead of taking Lawrence, they trade the top pick to New England for Stidham just to get some more Patriots blood in Detroit — because that will obviously solve all their problems and have them ready to compete in 2021.

CHICAGO

Sun Sep. 13      at Detroit Lions                 1:00pm ET             FOX

Sun Sep. 20      New York Giants              1:00pm ET             CBS

Sun Sep. 27      at Atlanta Falcons            1:00pm ET             FOX

Sun Oct. 4         Indianapolis Colts            1:00pm ET             CBS

Thur Oct. 8         Tampa Bay Buccaneers  8:20pm ET             FOX/NFLN/Amazon

Sun Oct. 18        at Carolina Panthers        1:00pm ET             FOX

Mon Oct. 26       at Los Angeles Rams       8:15pm ET             ESPN

Sun Nov. 1        New Orleans Saints          4:25pm ET             FOX

Sun Nov. 8        at Tennessee Titans         1:00pm ET             FOX

Mon Nov. 16      Minnesota Vikings            8:15pm ET             ESPN

Sun Nov. 22       BYE

Sun Nov. 29       at Green Bay Packers      8:20pm ET             NBC

Sun Dec. 6          Detroit Lions                    1:00pm ET             FOX

Sun Dec. 13       Houston Texans               1:00pm ET            CBS

Sun Dec. 20       at Minnesota Vikings        1:00pm ET            FOX

Sun Dec. 27       at Jacksonville Jaguars    1:00pm ET            FOX

Sun Jan. 3         Green Bay Packers           1:00pm ET           FOX

SCHEDULE THOUGHTS

The Bears get some primetime love, perhaps surprisingly, in the middle of the season with four nocturnal outings in a seven-game span, including two in three weeks on two occasions…They don’t play the Packers for the first time until the Sunday after Thanksgiving…A big-market Week 2 game with the Giants is flexed away from FOX to CBS…The Bears schedule is almost exactly home-road with the same number after every even count.

DETROIT

Sun Sep. 13         Chicago Bears                 1:00pm ET            FOX

Sun Sep. 20         at Green Bay Packers      1:00pm ET            FOX

Sun Sep. 27         at Arizona Cardinals         4:25pm ET           FOX

Sun Oct. 4           New Orleans Saints           1:00pm ET          FOX

Sun Oct. 11         BYE

Sun Oct. 18         at Jacksonville Jaguars      1:00pm ET          FOX

Sun Oct. 25          at Atlanta Falcons              1:00pm ET          FOX

Sun Nov. 1          Indianapolis Colts               1:00pm ET         CBS

Sun Nov. 8          at Minnesota Vikings          1:00pm ET         CBS

Sun Nov. 15        Washington Redskins         1:00pm ET         FOX

Sun Nov. 22         at Carolina Panthers          1:00pm ET         FOX

Thurs Nov. 26      Houston Texans                12:30pm ET        CBS

Sun Dec. 6           at Chicago Bears                1:00pm ET         FOX

Sun Dec. 13          Green Bay Packers            1:00pm ET         FOX

St/Sn Dec. 19/20   at Tennessee Titans          Time TBA ET

St/Sn Dec. 26/27   Tampa Bay Buccaneers     Time TBA ET

Sun Jan. 3             Minnesota Vikings              1:00pm ET         FOX

SCHEDULE THOUGHTS: The Lions could play as many as 13 games on FOX (with weeks 15 and 16 pending for the NFL Network Saturday shuffle)…As it stands now only the Week 3 game in Arizona is not in the early window, with zero primetimes…Mostly balanced schedule, but three of the last four are at home…Two division games to start, at Minnesota in the middle, then three of the last five.

GREEN BAY

Sun Sep. 13         at Minnesota Vikings           1:00pm ET           FOX

Sun Sep. 20         Detroit Lions                        1:00pm ET           FOX

Sun Sep. 27         at New Orleans Saints         8:20pm ET           NBC

Mon Oct. 5           Atlanta Falcons                    8:15pm ET          ESPN

Sun Oct. 11          BYE

Sun Oct. 18          at Tampa Bay Buccaneers  4:25pm ET           FOX

Sun Oct. 25          at Houston Texans              1:00pm ET           FOX

Sun Nov. 1          Minnesota Vikings                 1:00pm ET          FOX

Thurs Nov. 5        at San Francisco 49ers        8:20pm ET          FOX/NFLN/Amazon

Sun Nov. 15         Jacksonville Jaguars            1:00pm ET          FOX

Sun Nov. 22         at Indianapolis Colts             1:00pm ET          FOX

Sun Nov. 29         Chicago Bears                      8:20pm ET          NBC

Sun Dec. 6           Philadelphia Eagles              4:25pm ET          CBS

Sun Dec. 13         at Detroit Lions                     1:00pm ET           FOX

St/Sun Dec 19/20 Carolina Panthers                Time TBA ET

Sun Dec. 27         Tennessee Titans                 8:20pm ET           NBC

Sun Jan. 3           at Chicago Bears                  1:00pm ET           FOX

SCHEDULE THOUGHTS: The Packers get seven big games out of nine – 5 primetime (3 on Sunday) and two doubleheader games (one purloined from the FOX inventory with Philly at GB in Week 13…The NFC Championship Game re-match, perhaps in Santa Clara, is a stellar game for FOX on Thursday night…The Eagles game is the only time CBS covers the Packers (barring a Flex, especially on Week 15) as Houston at Green Bay flips to FOX and the Titans visit is supposed to be on NBC (Flex possible if Titans are one-year wonders)…Relatively balanced home and away…The Bears show up late both times…Three straight NFC South games starting in late September.

MINNESOTA

Sun Sep. 13         Green Bay Packers              1:00pm ET           FOX

Sun Sep. 20         at Indianapolis Colts             1:00pm ET           FOX

Sun Sep. 27            Tennessee Titans               1:00pm ET           CBS

Sun Oct. 4               at Houston Texans             1:00pm ET           FOX

Sun Oct. 11             at Seattle Seahawks           8:20pm ET          NBC

Sun Oct. 18             Atlanta Falcons                   1:00pm ET          FOX

Sun Oct. 25              BYE

Sun Nov. 1               at Green Bay Packers        1:00pm ET          FOX

Sun Nov. 8               Detroit Lions                       1:00pm ET          CBS

Mon Nov. 16            at Chicago Bears                8:15pm ET          ESPN

Sun Nov. 22             Dallas Cowboys                 4:25pm ET           FOX

Sun Nov. 29             Carolina Panthers              1:00pm ET           FOX

Sun Dec. 6               Jacksonville Jaguars          1:00pm ET           CBS

Sun Dec. 13             at Tampa Bay Buccaneers  1:00pm ET          FOX

Sun Dec. 20             Chicago Bears                     1:00pm ET          FOX

Fri Dec. 25               at New Orleans Saints         4:30pm ET          FOX/NFLN/Amazon

Sun Jan. 3               at Detroit Lions                     1:00pm ET          FOX

SCHEDULE THOUGHTS – The Vikings are done with the Packers by Week 8, before they play either Detroit or Chicago…Two primetime games, a national game on Christmas Day and one America’s Game of the Week.  That’s a load that seems just a titch light for the Vikings, but not an insult…Three of the last four on the road after a three-game homestand.

TAMPA BAY

TE ROB GRONKOWSKI says his trade to TB was all about another TB.  Grant Gordon of NFL.com:

Back in the NFL after a season away, Rob Gronkowski is also back with Tom Brady.

The tandem of terrific is also most notably set for Tampa Bay where each of the future Hall of Famers will play for the first time for a franchise that isn’t the New England Patriots.

By Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians’ account, it was Brady — who signed a two-year deal this offseason with the Bucs — who engineered the reunion and the added excitement for what may come for Tampa Bay.

“It was really Tom,” Arians said Thursday on NFL Live, via ESPN.com‘s Jenna Laine. “Tom brought it up to me, and I didn’t even think it was a possibility that he wanted to come back. And he was adamant about, yeah, he really wants to play; he’d love to play with us. So [general manager] Jason Licht got the ball rolling with the Patriots, the conversation was there, and he’s working out, he’s in great shape and he’s raring to go. So we’re really looking forward to getting on the practice field.”

For only a fourth-round draft pick in the just-now-past draft, the Buccaneers acquired Gronkowski, a seventh-rounder, added excitement and a whole lot of possibilities.

The offensive-minded Arians has never really got much production out of the tight end spot. However, last year, the talented tight-end duo of Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard combined for 70 receptions and 770 yards receiving. Gronkowski’s addition gives Tampa ridiculous depth and promise at the position. Of course, it also adds a most familiar teammate and target for TB12.

One has to believe even with Brate and Howard on board, though, Gronkowski is going to get the first look from Brady. After all, he’s the one that got the ball rolling to get Gronkowski out of retirement, back on the field and down to Tampa.

LAS VEGAS

The NFL is allowing Disney a unique way to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Monday Night Football.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

Once upon a time, ABC televised a show called Vegas. More recently, ABC televised Monday Night Football. This year, ABC will televise the first ever Monday night game (and first regular-season game) ever played in Las Vegas.

The Week Two Monday night game between the Saints and Raiders in Las Vegas will be broadcast both by ESPN and ABC. It will be the first Monday night game on ABC since the conclusion of the 2005 season.

The date of the game — September 21, 2020 — also will be the 50th anniversary of the debut of Monday Night Football.

According to ESPN, no other 2020 Monday night games will be simulcast by ABC.

The move comes amid speculation that, in the next round of TV contracts, Monday Night Football will move back to ABC. Whether or not it does, for one Monday in 2020 it will.

THIS AND THAT

THE JAY CUTLER DIVORCE

An overview of former NFL QB Jay Cutler’s impending divorce from Desiree Murphy ofETOnline.com:

A source tells ET that one of the reasons why they filed for divorce after 10 years together was due to having trouble “being on the same page with work-life balance.” The fashion designer, 33, and retired NFL star, 37, share three children together: Camden, 7, Jaxon, 6, and Saylor, 4.

“After Jay was done with the NFL and Kristin started working more, Jay was at home with the kids. It became a real contention in their relationship,” the source says. “Jay wanted time with Kristin, as did she, but she was working non-stop.”

“Jay also wanted to work again, but struggled figuring out what was next for him,” the source adds. “Jay doesn’t need the money, he’s done well for himself, but he’s always played football. He was taking his time figuring out his next move which often frustrated Kristin.”

The pair announced last month in a joint statement that they were divorcing, noting that they still had “nothing but love and respect for one another.” But shortly after the news broke, a source told ET that their split was no longer amicable.

The source said Cutler was upset over Cavallari requesting primary physical custody of their three children. And in court documents obtained by ET, Cavallari — who accused Cutler of “marital misconduct” in her divorce filing — claimed that the former NFL star was trying to control their marital assets and was preventing her from buying her own home. The two were able to reach a permanent parenting plan on Monday, however, and Cavallari was permitted to buy a new home in Franklin, Tennessee.

In various interviews over the years, including with ET, Cavallari had been open and honest about her and Cutler’s marriage struggles.

“It takes an effort from both people. Both people have to really want it,” she confessed during an appearance on Diana Madison’s Dream Big podcast in January. “Marriage is really hard with kids. Kids put stress on a relationship, that’s just the truth. If you have different parenting styles, it offers a unique set of problems.”

“I also think it’s healthy to have a disagreement in front of the kids, so they can see how to get out of it, because that’s real,” she added. “Being perfect in front of the kids isn’t real.”

This is the conventional wisdom’s typical snarky tweet from Ben Domenech:

@bdomenech

Kristin Cavallari saying Jay Cutler turned into “this lazy and unmotivated guy” is definitive proof she never watched him play in the NFL.

But Cutler has some defenders who make their points:

@TX_lawpony

If you had already made enough money to be wealthy the rest of your life, and had negative experiences with fame, I wouldn’t be motivated to be a reality/E celebrity either.

@SpaceBard

Jay Cutler played with Diabetes since 2008, transformed his body, and often got back on the field from injury much sooner than anticipated. You can criticize him for many other things, but saying he is “lazy and unmotivated” is a lazy and ignorant statement.

We forgot about the diabetes.

THE EARL THOMAS ORGY

TMZ.com has the tale of an orgy in Austin that was broken up by the tech savvy wife of S EARL THOMAS.

NFL star Earl Thomas is lucky to be alive after cops say his wife held a loaded gun less than a foot from his head … after she allegedly caught him cheating with another woman.

It’s all spelled out in court documents obtained by TMZ Sports … detailing a violent April 13 altercation involving the Baltimore Ravens player, Nina Thomas and several other people.

The Austin Police Dept. responded to a home in the Austin, Texas area at 3:41 AM after getting a call about a disturbance.

When cops arrived, they say “we observed that a black female wearing an orange sweater with a knife in her hand, later identified as Nina Thomas, was chasing a shirtless black male, later identified as Earl Thomas, with a pistol in his hand around a vehicle.”

Cops drew their weapons and ordered both Nina and Earl to the ground — and they complied without incident. That’s when the investigation began and things got WILD.

Here’s Nina’s story, according to court docs …

Nina claims Earl, 30, left their home earlier in the day after an argument over the NFL player’s drinking. She claims Earl’s brother, Seth Thomas, picked him up.

But, a short time later, she decided to check on his whereabouts by logging into his Snapchat account — and that’s when she says she found video of Earl with another woman.

Nina says she used Earl’s Snapchat account to track his location to a nearby Airbnb rental home … and says she called up two other women to help her confront Earl at the pad. Nina also claims she grabbed Earl’s pistol, a 9mm Berreta, in the process with the intention to “scare him.”

When the women arrived at the house, they “discovered Earl and Seth naked in bed with other women.”

That’s when Nina admits she pulled out the gun and put it to Earl’s head — stating “that she took out the magazine thinking that the gun could not fire.” But, cops say Nina was “unaware that the gun had a round in the chamber.”

Cops say one of the women in the house shot cell phone video of the incident … which they say shows Nina pointing the gun at Earl’s head “from less than a foot away and it can clearly be seen that Nina’s finger was on the trigger and the safety is disengaged.”

Fortunately for Earl, cops say the Ravens defensive back was able to wrestle the gun away from her.

Cops say the cell phone video also shows Nina striking Earl in the nose before it ends.

Cops also spoke with Earl, who essentially corroborated the story … adding that Nina repeatedly hit him while he attempted to take the firearm away.

In an interview with Earl’s alleged mistress at the scene, she claimed Nina also threatened her and the other woman in the house — pointing the gun at them and yelling “I got something for all you hoes!”

The woman claims one of Nina’s other friends was carrying a knife and swinging it aggressively during the altercation as well.

After speaking with everyone, cops ultimately arrested Nina and both members of her posse. Nina was booked for burglary of a residence with intent to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon — family violence, and later bonded out.

Earl was NOT arrested.

Court records show Nina was also hit with an emergency protective order … requiring her to stay 200 yards away from Earl and his alleged mistress.

As we previously reported, Earl and Nina were married in an extravagant wedding back in April 2016 … Russell Wilson and Ciara even attended the ceremony.

Earl is one of the best defensive players in the NFL — he’s a 7-time Pro Bowl defensive back who won Super Bowl XLVIII as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

Thomas was a key part of Seattle’s legendary “Legion of Boom” — along with Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor.

When contacted by TMZ Sports, Nina’s attorney, Jonathan Goins, told us, “I am here to declare that my client unequivocally and categorically denies these allegations and we look forward to our day in court where we can clear her good name.”

We also reached out to Earl Thomas for comment before we published the story — and he released a statement on social media.

“Instead of talking about us, just keep us in y’all prayers,” Thomas says. “Stuff like this happens. We try to live the best lives we possibly can. Sometimes it doesn’t go as planned.”

UNLOCKING THE LOCKDOWN

California Governor Gavin Newsom continues to be a Debbie Downer about sports in his state.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

There is an excitement, with the schedule release tonight, that we could see NFL football come this fall. Maybe even a full season, starting on time in September.

But California Governor Gavin Newsom threw some cold water on the idea Thursday, only hours before the league’s schedule announcement.

“On the sports question, it’s difficult to imagine a stadium that’s filled until we have immunity, until we have a vaccine,” Newsom said, via Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. “It’s difficult for me and imagine what the league, broadly leagues, do when one or two of their key personnel or players are tested positive. Do they quarantine the rest of the team if an offensive lineman is practicing with a defensive lineman, and they are tested positive? What happens to the rest of the line? What happens for the game coming up next weekend? It’s inconceivable to me that that’s not a likely scenario, so it’s a very challenging question you’re asking.”

All it took for the NBA to suspend its season was for Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert to test positive. So what happens if the NFL begins training camp and one player or two players or multiple players on a team test positive?

That is among the many questions every league has to answer before resuming or starting play.

So we can all continue to keep our fingers crossed that some really smart people figure out how sports can continue safely for players and coaches with games played either with or without fans.

“Look, I’ve talked a lot about my own background in baseball and why substantially I’m here because of what sports did for me, and when I say I’m passionate about sports, I really am, and how uniting sports can be at a time when people feel so torn apart and so anxious,” Newsom continued. “And I really think they’re incredibly important in terms of spirit and pride that a community, state and nation can build. So I say this very, very honestly, I hope to be able to answer that question sooner than later. But it’s a very tough question for these leagues to answer, because they must have a safety-first, health-first mindset, and there are conditions that persist in this state and this nation that make re-opening very, very challenging.”

Newsom’s answer raises another question: What happens if some states won’t allow professional sports but other states will?

For now, the NFL still has time on its side. But one day quickly is turning into another and one month into another. At some point, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will have to answer the “challenging question” posed to Newsom on Thursday.

Perhaps knowing that Newsom could be a thorn/dagger in the side of America’s quest for football, there is a fortuitous coincidence discovered by/pointed out to Mike Florio:

With California governor Gavin Newsom throwing water on the idea of throwing football fans into a stadium before herd immunity is achieved and/or a coronavirus vaccine is developed, the NFL may need to be ready to stage Rams, Chargers, and 49ers home games in front of no fans. Or, alternatively, to play those “home” games in stadiums where fans will be able to show up and buy tickets, parking spots, food, beer, merchandise, programs, etc., etc.

And it wouldn’t be hard to make that happen. Simple cross-referencing has identified practical temporary homes for the three California teams.

First, the 49ers could play in Arizona. Both teams have home games in Week Nine, but the 49ers play on Thursday night while the Cardinals play on Sunday. In Week 13, the Cardinals play on Sunday, but the 49ers play on Monday night. The two teams never have home games on the same day.

Second, the Chargers could play in Las Vegas — if the Raiders are willing to let the Chargers christen the stadium on the second Sunday of the season, one day before the Raiders host a Monday Night Football game there. The only glitch arises in Week 14, with both teams due to play home games the same day. But one of the games could be moved to Saturday (college football season will be over) or to Monday, creating the kind of Monday night two-pack that used to happen from time to time when teams that shared space with the local baseball club was bounced by a World Series home game.

Third, the Rams could play in Dallas. Other than Week Four, when both are due to play at home, the schedule has no conflicts. Again, one of the games could be moved to Monday night.

The league has said nothing to suggest that California teams would share stadiums elsewhere in 2020. If, however, games can’t be played at all in California or if the NFL would prefer games with customers away from L.A. or San Francisco to home games in empty venues, it won’t be hard to do. Apart from dealing with a Week Four conflict in Dallas and a Week 14 issue in Las Vegas, it will be easy to find other places for California teams to play home games away from home.

The governor of the State of Washington, failed presidential candidate Jay Ainslee is also a LockDown Governor who might march in solidarity with Newsom, so an alternative home for the Seahawks might be sought.