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NFL, NFLPA have continued to make ‘incremental’ progress toward new CBA
Representatives of the NFL and the NFL Players Association have been addressing the central economic issue in their labor negotiations — the split of revenue between the sides — as they attempt to complete a deal for a new collective bargaining agreement that would extend beyond the 2020 season.
Owners and the NFLPA have been discussing proposals that would give the players about 48 percent of league revenue under the salary cap, according to multiple people familiar with the negotiations. That’s a slight increase from the players’ current share of revenue under the existing 10-year CBA and is in the range of what the owners have believed would be necessary to complete a deal, those people said.
One person close to the deliberations said the sides continue to make “incremental” process toward a potential agreement. It’s not clear at this point when such slow and steady movement might produce a deal.
Hopes had been buoyed that an agreement was possible by the end of the postseason, which would enable the NFL to announce a new labor deal at the Super Bowl.
That remains within reach, according to those people familiar with the deliberations, but it’s not certain that an agreement will be completed so soon. The next goal, if not by the Super Bowl, would be to have the deal completed by early March, when the new league year begins with the opening of the free agent market.
“The deal is there to be done,” said one person familiar with the talks, adding that the prospects for finalizing a new CBA depend on the willingness of each side to make the remaining necessary compromises.
It is believed that if the split of revenue is resolved, other issues will fall into place and a deal would be almost certain to be completed. It is not clear exactly how close the league and NFLPA are on that issue, though, because it’s not only about the percentage of revenue that the players receive. There is a closely related issue involving stadium credits, or the amount of revenue for stadium construction that is taken off the top, essentially, before the players receive their share. The two issues must be negotiated simultaneously.
If there’s no deal by early March, the negotiating dynamic could change because the players must elect new leadership at their annual NFLPA meetings that month. Former NFL offensive lineman Eric Winston’s term as union president is ending. Owners have seen their relationship with DeMaurice Smith, the union’s executive director, improve during this round of negotiating, but they wonder what would happen if the deal is not completed before the NFLPA player leadership changes.
The league and union have been negotiating in hopes of avoiding a repeat of the bitter standoff that led the owners to lock out the players before the 2011 labor deal was completed. The owners seem increasingly convinced that this CBA will include a 17-game regular season, although that would not necessarily have to begin in the first year of the deal. The preseason would be reduced if the regular season is lengthened. Some owners also believe the playoff field could expand from 12 to 14 teams at some point during the next CBA.
The sides have been discussing changes to the league’s drug policy regarding marijuana testing. It is also possible that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s authority in player disciplinary matters will be reduced.
Representatives of the NFL and the NFL Players Association have been addressing the central economic issue in their labor negotiations — the split of revenue between the sides — as they attempt to complete a deal for a new collective bargaining agreement that would extend beyond the 2020 season.
Owners and the NFLPA have been discussing proposals that would give the players about 48 percent of league revenue under the salary cap, according to multiple people familiar with the negotiations. That’s a slight increase from the players’ current share of revenue under the existing 10-year CBA and is in the range of what the owners have believed would be necessary to complete a deal, those people said.
One person close to the deliberations said the sides continue to make “incremental” process toward a potential agreement. It’s not clear at this point when such slow and steady movement might produce a deal.
Hopes had been buoyed that an agreement was possible by the end of the postseason, which would enable the NFL to announce a new labor deal at the Super Bowl.
That remains within reach, according to those people familiar with the deliberations, but it’s not certain that an agreement will be completed so soon. The next goal, if not by the Super Bowl, would be to have the deal completed by early March, when the new league year begins with the opening of the free agent market.
“The deal is there to be done,” said one person familiar with the talks, adding that the prospects for finalizing a new CBA depend on the willingness of each side to make the remaining necessary compromises.
It is believed that if the split of revenue is resolved, other issues will fall into place and a deal would be almost certain to be completed. It is not clear exactly how close the league and NFLPA are on that issue, though, because it’s not only about the percentage of revenue that the players receive. There is a closely related issue involving stadium credits, or the amount of revenue for stadium construction that is taken off the top, essentially, before the players receive their share. The two issues must be negotiated simultaneously.
If there’s no deal by early March, the negotiating dynamic could change because the players must elect new leadership at their annual NFLPA meetings that month. Former NFL offensive lineman Eric Winston’s term as union president is ending. Owners have seen their relationship with DeMaurice Smith, the union’s executive director, improve during this round of negotiating, but they wonder what would happen if the deal is not completed before the NFLPA player leadership changes.
The league and union have been negotiating in hopes of avoiding a repeat of the bitter standoff that led the owners to lock out the players before the 2011 labor deal was completed. The owners seem increasingly convinced that this CBA will include a 17-game regular season, although that would not necessarily have to begin in the first year of the deal. The preseason would be reduced if the regular season is lengthened. Some owners also believe the playoff field could expand from 12 to 14 teams at some point during the next CBA.
The sides have been discussing changes to the league’s drug policy regarding marijuana testing. It is also possible that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s authority in player disciplinary matters will be reduced.
