With the NFL and players working towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, it looks like the owner’s side is pushing hard for 17 regular season games. With the regular season being as physically demanding as it is, many players have been vocal against that change, including Jacksonville Jaguars Calais Campbell and Josh Allen.
We also can now add running back Leonard Fournette to that list as he took to Twitter to give his take, which was straight forward.
I disagree with the 17 games
— 7⃣ Leonard Fournette (@_fournette) February 20, 2020
In a league where owners are always looking to add revenue, it’s not shocking that they are pushing for this to happen. It was also revealed on Wednesday that the league is also working hard to add a postseason game, which means more money from the television networks who work with the NFL.
Of course, this also means more money for the players, but at the expense of their health, most clearly would rather go another route like Fournette. It also doesn’t help that Fournette plays one of the most physically demanding positions, which has caused him to have issues with injuries in the past.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the players will go from a 47% revenue share under the current CBA to a 48% share if the regular season remains at 16 games. That figure could rise to a 48.5% share if the season is moved to a 17 game format. That would shift more revenue to the player’s side ($5 billion), which is something they work on with each CBA.
More on the transformational CBA proposal now on the table, per sources: As part of the new deal, players go from 47% share under current deal to 48% share at 16 games, and then to 48.5% share if they go to 17 games, shifting $5 billion of revenue to players’ side.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 20, 2020