Both the NFL and the NFL Player’s Association are racing against the clock to try to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement ahead of the 2020 season — so much so that we’re seeing a downturn in everything else the league typically remains on top of at this time of year. The formal proposal for the new CBA was sent out last Thursday, but not before the league pushed back numerous league calendar dates to help accommodate for the time and energy sunk by all parties into negotiations.
And when the proposal was sent to the players for ratification, it was sent with the intent of voting to close in 7 days — but that deadline, too, has now been pushed back.
NFLPA is extending voting for the new proposed CBA until Saturday at 11:59 p.m. ET, source told ESPN. Initial deadline was Thursday but they want to give players more time to digest the proposed CBA.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) March 9, 2020
The players will add an additional 48 hours to their voting window — to allow for as much time as possible to stew over the pros and cons of the negotiated agreement. We’ve already heard from Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick on the matter — he’s publicly stated that he is voting yet to pass the proposal.
But many of the more prominent players remain split on the issue, some of them totally adamant about declining the proposal and returning back to the drawing board to look for more revenue concessions. Those players are, seemingly, the vocal minority. Because while there are surely many reasons to take objection to the proposal, many of the league’s marginal players will benefit greatly from the upcoming changes included in the document. And those are the kinds of amenities that may push this CBA through the voting process — even after the players have an additional two days to stew over their votes.
[vertical-gallery id=422223]