Tag: Work Stoppage

There could be possible NFL labor peace in our time

Last offseason and through the 2019 regular season there was some talk about the upcoming CBA negotiations. The NFLPA was telling players to start stashing away checks in case of a prolonged work stoppage. The league was pushing for an increase in …

Last offseason and through the 2019 regular season there was some talk about the upcoming CBA negotiations. The NFLPA was telling players to start stashing away checks in case of a prolonged work stoppage. The league was pushing for an increase in regular-season games and wasn’t going to take no for an answer. There was serious commentary about a work stoppage and since we already saw one — well kind of — in the last round of negotiations, there was a possibility we could end up without football. That would be sad.

Now, for the good news: no one seems to want to kill the goose that’s laying the golden eggs. There is some serious momentum that not only will there be no work stoppage, but that the NFL and NFLPA could come to an agreement before the CBA even expires.

There’s no way to look at other than this is good news. The owners and players understand that the quicker they can come to a deal, the quicker they can get down to real business, like dominating negotiations with streaming partners and traditional content distributors. Basically, the goal is to rake in money hand over fist and then make sure it’s distributed based on a negotiated percentage outlined in the CBA.

The deal is rumored to run from 2020 until after the 2029 season. That’s 10 years of labor peace. That’s a good deal. For 10 years we won’t have to worry about lockouts, strikes, and no football. We will get a new NFL, one that probably hasn’t 17 games and an expanded playoff. Players will know that for the foreseeable future, they will be able to use their enormous skills and talent to make money. The owners will be even happier because they will be able to negotiate with television partners, focus on the upcoming gambling revolution, and make a ton more money because that’s what happens when you own a football team. The league should see a jump in franchise valuation because that’s what happens when there are labor peace and certainty.

So let’s hope this momentum holds. No one likes hearing about work stoppages. It’s an ugly part of the game. No fan wants to think that there might not be football next year. We already miss it now.

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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