The NFLPA’s board of player reps voted overnight to send a proposed 10-year CBA to its full membership for a vote, paving the way for a deal to be done within days. The news came at 1:41am ET after a marathon afternoon and evening of meetings. It was not said precisely when the vote would occur, but both sides are hoping to finish a deal in time for it to take effect with the March 18 start of the new league year. A final vote count was not released by the NFLPA, and it said on Monday that only a simple majority of the 32 player reps was required to advance the proposal, not two-thirds as had previously been understood.
There remains substantial opposition to a 17th game among NFLPA members, but most expect the vote to pass if the leadership has approved it. 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.
The players’ Exec Council began meeting with the NFL’s Management Committee Exec Council at 5:00pm yesterday in downtown Indianapolis and did not break until 8:45pm. Then, players retreated to their own hotel, where they briefed the remaining player reps who were not in the meeting. It is not known what changes were made, if any, as a result of the Tuesday meetings, but any major departures from the deal terms released last Thursday would have had to return to all owners for another vote on their side.
Even though 13 months remain on the current CBA, owners eagerly want to lock in a deal now to facilitate upcoming media-rights negotiations.
