Players have argued for more offseason program changes to offset the impact of a 17th gameGETTY IMAGES
The NFL CBA ratification vote of all players "could be a week or two off" while the formal document is drafted first, according to a source cited by the Washington Post's Mark Maske. The NFL board of player reps voted overnight to send a proposed 10-year CBA to its full membership, and a source said that the league and union are meeting today to "decide operational rules" such as franchise tags, in the meantime "pending the players' final vote" (TWITTER.com, 2/26). ESPN's Domonique Foxworth, who served as NFLPA President during his playing career, said sending the vote to the full player membership means it is "likely that it’s going to pass." However, he said the "fact that there is still some time and the fact that they have extracted more ... might encourage some of the players who are willing to take some risk to be like, ‘Hey, this isn’t the 11th hour. We can say no again and maybe they’ll give us a little bit more.'" ESPN's Emmanuel Acho said it is "absolutely not" a given the vote passes because he suggests there is "going to be a lot of group-think” among the players ("Get Up," ESPN, 2/26). But ESPN's Mike Golic said, "There is no way on God's green earth this will not pass" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 2/26).
TALKING THINGS OUT: ESPN's Dan Graziano reports the overnight CBA negotiations were somewhat "contentious" and notes it was "interesting to see that the players really aren't in full agreement on this." Player reps in the meeting were "arguing that there needed to be more changes to offseason programs to offset the potential effect of a 17th game on player health and safety" ("Get Up," ESPN, 2/26). However, he added the "most significant thing that got done was the negotiating session itself," as players were "able to sit across the table from the owners face-to-face and offer their concerns and listen to the owners explain why they felt this was a good idea” ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 2/26).
DETAILS OF THE DEAL: The new CBA proposal includes a 17-game regular season beginning as soon as ’21, more roster spots, a boost in the players’ share of revenue from 47% to 48.5%, a 20% boost in minimum salary, a shortened preseason and upgraded pensions/health care assistance for former players. Owners also expect to expand the playoffs by one Wild Card team per conference, though that did not require union approval. Even though 13 months remain on the current CBA, owners eagerly want to lock in a deal now to facilitate upcoming media-rights negotiations. One change made to NFLPA deal last night was to remove the $250,000 cap on earnings for players who might play a 17th game under a contract that originally envisioned 16 games. Owners do not consider that a material change, so there is no need for another vote (Ben Fischer, THE DAILY).
ROLL CALL: The AP's Barry Wilner notes after "nearly four hours of meetings between player reps and members of the NFL’s negotiating committee" yesterday in Indianapolis, the 32 team reps "spent several more hours discussing the deal." They then "gave the nod" for all NFLPA members to "make the final decision." NFLPA Assistant Exec Dir of External Affairs George Atallah "announced the move on his verified Twitter account" after 1:00am ET (AP, 2/26). The WASHINGTON POST's Maske reports yesterday's meeting included several figures from the players' side, including 49ers CB Richard Sherman and recently retired Lorenzo Alexander, as well as NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith. Many players on the NFLPA's ruling 11-member Exec Committee and among its 32 team reps "were thought to be" in Indianapolis, but the players' side was "based at a nearby hotel and it appeared that not all players attended the bargaining meeting." On the league side, Commissioner Roger Goodell and the "members of the owners' bargaining committee," chaired by Giants President & CEO John Mara, attended. Other owners on that committee are the Packers' Mark Murphy, Cowboys' Jerry Jones, Patriots' Robert Kraft, Steelers' Art Rooney, Chiefs' Clark Hunt, Bengals' Mike Brown and Chargers' Dean Spanos (WASHINGTON POST, 2/26).
HAS THIS WORKED OUT FOR PLAYERS? NFL Network's Peter Schrager notes it "seems like the owners gave a little bit more to the players" in this latest round of negotiating ("Good Morning Football," NFL Network, 2/26). ESPN's Foxworth notes it has been "impressive that the players have been able to extract even more" from the owners during the negotiations. He said, "From the time where the (Exec Committee) said no, that gave the players a little bit more leverage, and they've extracted some more from the owners" ("Get Up," ESPN, 2/26). However, NBCSN's Mike Florio said he has not "seen anything to suggest that significant concessions were made by the NFL." It "could just be that some very persuasive gentlemen in the room ... had a PowerPoint presentation where they showed the players, 'Here's what happens if we delay this process of getting a deal done and moving toward new TV deals'" ("PFT," NBCSN, 2/26).
TIMING IS OF THE ESSENCE: NFL Network's Schrager notes it is "important" for the two sides to reach a deal before the start of the league year on March 18 because the NFL's "broadcast deals are up in a year and the NFL wants to get their players, their union and their owners all on the same page before they negotiate" the new agreements ("Good Morning Football," NFL Network, 2/26). ESPN's Graziano added the new TV negotiations will take place "pretty soon" after the CBA deal is signed. He said, "The owners want to get this stuff in place. There are concerns among the owners about big picture stuff, like what the economy will do depending on who wins the Presidential election" ("Golic & Wingo," ESPN Radio, 2/26).
