Tag: 17 game season

Michael Thomas reacts to new CBA’s 17-game NFL season

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas commented on the NFL’s soon-to-be expanded regular season, which won’t take place until 2021

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The NFL Players Association voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement this weekend, which will run through the next decade and introduce several big changes to the game. Maybe the most significant new feature is the expansion of the regular season to 17 games, extending the regular season another week (the preseason, however, will be limited to just three exhibition games). This big shakeup will not come into play until the 2021 season at the soonest, but some players aren’t happy with the development.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas can be counted in that number. Thomas responded to the news of this change from his official Twitter account, joking that it’s “time to start load management,” referencing the popular NBA practice of resting key players during lengthy road trips. Thomas also shared a tweet from New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who noted that he’ll have to schedule six massages each week instead of just four during the new, extended regular season.

Professional football is one of the most physically-demanding sports in the world, and few of today’s players know that fact better than Thomas. He set a new NFL record for receptions in a single season last year (149), taking on punishing hits from defenders each week.

He ended up being limited in practice with a hand injury late in the season, which Thomas later revealed to include a fractured bone. Even if receivers and cornerbacks don’t take as many hits as, say, running backs and linebackers, they do experience the rigors of the game all the same. And it’s important to remember that an additional regular season game doesn’t just mean an extra work week for these athletes; it carries a real, physical cost that they must put in more effort to manage.

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4 key takeaways to NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement

The NFL and Player’s Association ratified a new CBA, guaranteeing 10 years of labor peace. Here are four key takeaways from the new CBA.

A hotly contested collective bargaining agreement was ratified by the players on Sunday by a vote of 1,019 to 959, resulting in 10 years of labor peace between the NFL owners and the players association.

While many players were upset the vote passed, including many Seattle Seahawks, the new deal ultimately provides players with a slightly bigger piece of the overall revenue stream, while also relaxing the rules on drug testing.

Here are four key takeaways from the new collective bargaining agreement, and how it will impact the Seahawks and the NFL as a whole for the next decade.

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6 things that need to be addressed before a 17 game schedule becomes a reality

(AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio) The 17-game regular season has come up in football circles again since the collective bargaining agreement is in its last year. The players have constantly stated they are against making the regular season any longer. The …

 (AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio)

The 17-game regular season has come up in football circles again since the collective bargaining agreement is in its last year. The players have constantly stated they are against making the regular season any longer. The owners want 17 games to get more money from its television partners and because the preseason simply isn’t sustainable for anyone — fans, owners, players, coaches — as currently constituted. The 17-game schedule is one of the biggest things that will be talked about during the CBA negotiation. It’s really the biggest piece of leverage the players have over the owners in this round of talks. There are some things that need to change, and the players would be smart to focus on the following talking points any time 17 games is brought up.

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NFL Players Association to vote on 17-game regular season

The NFL Players Association is going to conditionally vote on a 17-game regular season schedule, part of the proposed CBA in 2021.

The NFL Player’s Association has agreed to convene after the Super Bowl to conditionally vote for or against a 17-game regular season schedule, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter.

This new schedule, if approved, likely wouldn’t take place until 2021 when the new CBA goes into place. Talks between the owners and the NFLPA have been contentious for months now, and while many players do not want an added game to the schedule, a source told ESPN the players may choose to  “accept the one thing they hate, a 17-game season, in exchange for 10 or more things they want.”

If the players reject the proposal, it could put into plan a potential work stoppage in 2021, as the window to get a deal done before the owners table the proposal until after the 2020 season is closing.

Almost all of the players dislike the idea of a 17-game schedule for health reasons, and many of the most outspoken players are former Seahawks, including Richard Sherman and Russell Okung.

The new CBA proposal also includes the potential for an added playoff game as well as nearly eliminating punishment for players who test positive for marijuana, following in the footsteps of the MLB.

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