Most NFL teams are set to report to training camp July 28. Some teams’ rookies already have. Though no practice work can be done until players twice test negative for the coronavirus — in two separate tests over a four-day span — players are returning to cities in which their respective teams are located.
The NFL and NFLPA have largely agreed to safety protocols, but the financial issue the they have grappled over continues to be a sticking point. And if the sides cannot come to an agreement by Sunday night, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports training camps could continue the offseason’s virtual format. One source suggested to the Washington Post’s Mark Maske the league could go further by sending players home again (Twitter link).
While the NFLPA wants to spread the pandemic-induced salary cap hit through 2030, when the current CBA is set to expire, some owners are seeking to not only lower next year’s cap but to reduce the 2020 cap, Pelissero notes. This would be a staggering adjustment for teams and players, and it will be difficult for the NFL to convince the NFLPA to agree to it. Even a $10MM reduction would be too much “at this stage,” one GM said, via Pelissero.
The union balked at the league’s escrow proposal, pointing to a scenario that would feature players losing jobs and money as an unlikely one to come to pass. The NFL already proposed a $40MM slash off the 2020 cap, which sits at $198MM. As expected, that did not gain traction with the union. Players’ 2020 salaries are locked in as soon as one game is played this season.
No deadline is in place regarding these talks, but Pelissero adds that owners want this resolved by the time the Chiefs and Texans rookies begin strength and conditioning work — scheduled for Sunday. Should the NFL and NFLPA fail to agree on a financial solution — one they have been discussing for months — the league could table training camps and return to virtual work. In a year featuring no preseason games, this would deal another blow to teams’ development and player safety while potentially putting Week 1 in peril.
This is what happens when you tie the salary cap into the previous years gross revenue. Ask the NHL sometimes it goes up, sometimes it goes down.
Just let the CBA naturally cut the cap next year by whatever amount it comes to.
The NFL could give teams a 3 year averaging that allows them to be over the cap as long as the 3 year average is at or below.
That way teams that don’t have flexibility next year can can deal with it over a 2 or 3 year period. It’s basically the opposite of letting unused cap dollars roll forward.