Stephen Ross is optimistic the NFL will play its 2020 season even if there are no fans in the stands.

"I think there definitely will be a football season this year," Ross said Tuesday during an interview with CNBC. "Real question is, will there be fans in the stadium? Right now -- today -- we're planning to have fans in the stadium."

The FL has yet to make a decision on whether fans will be allowed into stadiums in 2020. The league, however, plans on playing its full 16-game schedule on time beginning on September 10.

"We all miss our sports," Ross said. "The NFL, I think, will be ready to go. I know we're all looking forward to it. I know I am."

The NFL has acknowledged the likelihood that they will have at least one player test positive for COVID-19. Each team has 90 players on the training camp roster and 65 on the final active roster and practice squad, which means there are 2,880 and 2,080 players respectively in the pool.

“We fully expect that we will have positive cases,” NFL executive V.P. of communications, public affairs and policy Jeff Miller said during a Tuesday conference call with reporters. “Our challenge is to identify them as quickly as possible and to prevent spread to any other participants.”

The NFL will need to establish a procedure for allowing teams to quickly replace players who test positive for COVID-19.

NFL owners approved new measures aimed at improving the league's hiring practices for candidates of color, but they stopped short of approving a resolution that would have rewarded minority hiring with draft-pick compensation.

NFL Network reported last week that the owners were considering a proposal that would have improved teams' third-round draft picks by six or 10 spots if they hired a minority candidate for vacant GM or head coach openings.

NFL rules stipulate that 24 of 32 teams must vote to approve a resolution in order for it to go into effect. 

Teams will now be required to interview at least two candidates from outside their organization for any vacant head coach job and at least one minority candidate from outside their organization for any vacant offensive, defensive or special teams coordinator job. Previously, the Rooney Rule had required teams to interview only one minority candidate for head coach and none for coordinator.

The NFL is testing new protective facemasks with surgical or N95 material, according to the NFLPA's medical director Thom Mayer.

NFL engineers are testing prototypes with the sports equipment company Oakley, Inc., and Mayer said players could be wearing protective facemasks in the upcoming season.

"Yes, it's a possibility," Mayer said. "Back in early March, I suggested ways to handle the helmets and the facemasks ... the league's bioengineers are testing prototypes with Oakley. They're looking at every issue, including when masks fog up."

The NFL will immediate institute changes to the Rooney Rule in an effort to improve its hiring practices for people of color.

Teams will need to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach openings and one minority candidate for any coordinator job.

Teams must also interview one external minority candidate for senior football front office jobs.

NFL franchises are facing the possibility of a dramatic drop in revenues if games are played without fans in 2020.

League-wide national revenues make up between 70 percent and 80 percent of income for teams on average. For higher-revenue clubs such as the Dallas Cowboys, it is closer to 60-40 national to local if not even closer.

According to one team source, the NFL would lose the equivalent of $65 million of their nearly $200 million salary cap if all local revenues were removed.

The Los Angeles Rams have requested up to $500 million in additional NFL stadium financing and a doubling of the amount of time typically required to pay the money back, which would bring the total financing from the league up to $900 million.

The Rams plan to open SoFi Stadium this summer, but may be forced to do so without fans in attendance.

“There’s a massive request for debt waivers and additional G-4 from those in LA,” said one team source, referring to the NFL stadium lending program, known as G-4. “And they’re asking to pay that over 30 years as opposed to 15 years.”

The Rams are facing cost overruns, less than expected personal seat license sales, and the possibility of no gate revenue. 

The stadium was expected to cost $2.2 billion, but reports have now estimated the cost anywhere from $5 billion to $6 billion.

“The PSL numbers are dramatically under what was projected,” one source said. “I mean, all those things, a lot of teams would take what the Rams have sold, but they (too) are well under pro forma numbers.”

David Tepper expressed optimism that the NFL will have some fans in attendance, even if they don't reopen as usual due to COVID-19.

"You won't be playing having full stadiums, but that doesn't mean you can't have some fans in the stadium either," Tepper said during an appearance on CNBC. "If you're comfortable being in a closed airplane for a cross-country trip, 18 inches apart, maybe with two seats in between you and being 5 feet away from each other, you might be comfortable in an open-air stadium."

Tepper added: "There should be some amount of fans in the stadiums, depending on what locale and where you are and what the local rules are. There could possibly be."

The NFL is projected to lose approximately $138 million in revenue from tickets and gameday fan spending for each week played without fans, according to calculations from Patrick Rishe of Washington University in St. Louis.

A full season without fans could cost the NFL nearly $2.3 billion.

Teams are beginning to increasingly plan for the possibility of games being played without fans in attendance. 

The NFL and club executives have agreed on a proposal to raise the debt limit for each franchise from $350 million to $500 million for the 2020 season. The agreement is a response to the financial uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Owners will formally vote on the proposal next week.

The increased debt limit had been discussed internally for weeks with clubs pushing for access to extra money. 

Teams could lose tens of millions of dollars in local revenue if games are played in empty stadiums.

According to his estimates, the NFL would lose about $138 million in revenue from tickets and gameday fan spending for each week played without fans. A full season without fans could cost the league nearly $2.3 billion.