Collective Bargaining Agreement - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: QBs, Cap, Sanders, Nkemdiche

July 29th, 2019 at 9:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

The latest installment of Mike Sando’s annual quarterback tiers emerged recently, via The Athletic (subscription required). While Russell Wilson ascended into Tier 1 for the first time, evaluators are much less bullish on two of his top dual-threat brethren. Both Cam Newton and Dak Prescott come in on Tier 3, with the shoulder injuries the Panthers passer has suffered in recent years dropping him off his previous Tier 2 placement. The anonymous voter panel, comprised of executives and coaches, placed Newton as the league’s No. 15 quarterback and the Cowboys‘ fourth-year pilot at No. 17. In a separate piece, Sando notes no Tier 3 quarterback who has been paid as a top-10 passer, which seems likely for Prescott by Week 1, has taken his team to the playoffs that season. Newton has two years remaining on his Panthers-friendly deal. Tier 2 quarterbacks, per past Sando surveys, were 8-for-29 in guiding teams to the playoffs with top-10 APY figures since 2014.

Here is the latest from around the league:

One of the topics brought up in this year’s CBA talks: the spending floor. Currently, teams are required to spend 89% of their cap over a four-year period. The NFLPA has proposed forcing teams to spend more, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes. One of the proposals floated would increase that 89% threshold to 95%; another would involve reducing the number of years factored into these spending equations from four to two. There is no policy in place mandating teams spend a certain amount each year, only through four-year windows.
One issue that will likely change in the new CBA, per Graziano: the league’s marijuana policy. The NFL has already softened its stance on marijuana, through a 2014 change, and has now formed a committee to study alternative pain-management techniques. This points to more leniency on the weed front.
No team was willing to take on Robert Nkemdiche‘s first-round contract the Cardinals just shed. The 2016 first-round pick cleared waivers Monday and is now in free agency. The former No. 1 overall recruit reported to Cardinals camp in less-than-ideal shape and is coming off a season marred by a torn ACL. It may be a long road back for the 24-year-old defensive lineman, who did register 4.5 sacks (the first QB drops of his career) last season.
Emmanuel Sanders returned to 11-on-11 work at Broncos camp Monday, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic (on Twitter). This marked the first such participation for the 32-year-old wide receiver since before his Achilles tear last December. The Broncos did not stick Sanders on their active/PUP list to start training camp, and with more than five weeks remaining before Week 1, it appears a good bet the 10th-year wideout, barring a setback, will be ready to start the season on time.

NFL, NFLPA Far Apart On CBA Revenue Split

July 29th, 2019 at 7:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the NFL and the NFLPA met multiple times before the recent summit, the most recent meeting provided the clearest picture as to the status of the next collective bargaining agreement. This may not be progressing as both sides hope.

The session in Chicago represented the first time during this CBA negotiation cycle that the parties exchanged proposals, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. With the revenue split entering the equation, a 4 1/2-hour meeting led to the rest of that week’s powwows being nixed because the sides were too far apart. Monday’s follow-up meeting morphed from a key negotiating session to a meeting based around more peripheral matters. The revenue split subject was not on today’s agenda.

The league and the union are still slated to meet Tuesday, Breer adds, but it’s unclear if the big-picture subjects will be discussed. The parties’ next summit is scheduled for mid-August. League owners wanted more time to plan a new proposal, having seen the players’ for the first time, according to Breer. The players are also planning to amend their initial proposal.

While categorizing this round of talks as more productive than where the parties were at this point of the previous CBA cycle, Breer does not expect a new deal to be in place by the owners’ unofficial pre-Week 1 target date. The owners have backed off the goal of having the next collective bargaining agreement in place by then.

With the current CBA not set to expire until after next season, this process being completed in 2019 may be difficult. The union continues to prepare players for a possible 2021 work stoppage, sending out a “work stoppage worksheet” (Twitter link) themed around saving money in the event another lockout comes. Without a new deal in place, next offseason will include new contract and salary cap rules specific to the final year of the CBA, which means no June 1 release designations and the ability of teams to use both the franchise and transition tags to keep players off the free agent market.

Extra Points: Gurley, Longacre, CBA

July 28th, 2019 at 9:46pm CST by Micah Powell

In his first day on the field at Rams training camp, Todd Gurley looked like vintage Gurley, The Athletic’s Vincent Bonsignore writes.

The All-Pro back looked like his old self early, showing an ability put plenty of weight on his knee and cut without any apparent issue. That knee, of course, underwent reconstructive surgery in college and gave him issues down the stretch in 2018, leading to C.J. Anderson‘s breakout stint in the playoffs.

As Bonsignore writes, that he looked good doesn’t mean much at this point. It’s all about getting him on the field and keeping him there over the course of a 16-game season. The Rams will be sure to take it easy with Gurley, but this is a great first step for one of the league’s most dynamic playmakers.

A healthy Gurley, who led the league in rushing touchdowns for a second consecutive season in 2018, would make the reigning NFC champions the conference’s favorites once again thanks to its loaded offense and talent-rich defense.

Here’s more from around the league:

Buccaneers safety Orion Stewart was carted off the field on Sunday with an apparent serious right knee injury, Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Times writes. The safety was covering Cameron Brate when their legs tangled, leading Stewart to come down awkwardly. A free agent acquisition in 2019, Stewart was working with the Bucs’ second unit.
Colts defensive end Jabaal Sheard suffered a knee injury in training camp and is expected to “miss some time,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes. Just how long that “some time” is remains unclear, but the defensive end didn’t return to practice on Friday due to swelling and soreness. Colts head coach Frank Reich said the injury isn’t season-ending.
Just four days after the Cardinals signed linebacker Matt Longacre, the team released him on Sunday, Florio writes. The move comes just a day after the team activated Brooks Reed from the physically unable to perform list. In 2018, Longacre appeared in 13 games with the Rams, recording one sack and 17 tackles.
Lions defensive lineman Mike Daniels said he received interest from 13 teams but decided to join Detroit because he wanted to play for head coach Matt Patricia, Florio writes. Though the pair have never worked together before, Daniels called the coach “a genius.”
Originally, a meeting was to be held on Monday to discuss the Collective Bargaining Agreement between owners and the NFLPA. That will no longer take place, as the meeting has been rescheduled for early August, Florio writes.

Pre-Week 1 CBA Deal No Longer Goal?

July 17th, 2019 at 6:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

A three-day conference turned into a one-day summit this week, with the NFL and NFLPA’s latest round of CBA negotiations ending earlier today. The sides also may be moving their target date to have this process wrapped up.

While a new CBA being agreed to before Week 1 of this season seemed like an outlandish aspiration, given the contentious process that led to the 2011 lockout and the rivalry between the league and the union in the years since, that was a reported goal. It may no longer be. The NFL is not pushing for a new CBA to be hammered out before Week 1, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes (video link).

Both sides obviously want a resolution earlier, to thus prevent a potential 2021 lockout, but neither seeks to rush into a deal, per Garafolo. The current CBA does not expire until after the 2020 season. The previous reported desire for the league to have this agreement done before the start of the 2019 campaign centered around not wanting CBA talks to overshadow the NFL’s 100th season. That may no longer be possible.

Wednesday marked the fourth formal negotiating session in this CBA discussion cycle, but the parties will reconvene July 29. John Mara, Art Rooney and Robert Kraft took part in these talks; NFLPA president Eric Winston, Richard Sherman and Russell Okung were among those on hand for the players’ side.

NFL, NFLPA End Bargaining Session Early

July 17th, 2019 at 2:43pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL and NFLPA were set to meet from Wednesday through Friday, but the get-together is already over, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The plan, for now, is for the two sides to reconvene on July 29.

One source described the meetings as “productive,” though the decision to cap the scheduled three-day meeting after just one day is curious, to say the least. There’s a lot of issues to be hammered out, including the idea of an 18-game season. The union opposes the idea, even though the NFL would like to institute a 16-game limit for each individual player.

“I don’t see an 18-game schedule — under any circumstance — being in the best interest of our players,” NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said. “If somebody wants to make an 18-game proposal, we’ll look at it. I haven’t seen anything that makes me think that it would be good for the players.”

Of course, the union will also be after a larger share of the revenue, while owners are hoping that the players – in a roundabout way – will contribute money towards stadium projects and relocations.

DeMaurice Smith Talks 18-Game Schedule

July 12th, 2019 at 6:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

The enduring subject of an 18-game schedule has resurfaced. NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith confirmed a Wall Street Journal report (subscription required) indicating the NFL has broached the subject of an 18-game season, with 16-game limits per player, during the CBA talks.

As has been the case for years when this subject has emerged, the union is not on board with adding two more regular-season games.

“I don’t see an 18-game schedule — under any circumstance — being in the best interest of our players,” Smith said, via ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe. “If somebody wants to make an 18-game proposal, we’ll look at it. I haven’t seen anything that makes me think that it would be good for the players.”

The NFL has used a 16-game schedule since 1978. It moved from 12 to 14 in 1961. Packers president Mark Murphy (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio) floated the idea of a 17-game compromise, with teams having eight home games, eight road games and one neutral-site contest — which would be a gateway to more international games. The Packers president, however, is not in favor of a 17- or 18-game schedule that limits players’ participation to 16 dates, calling it “gimmicky.”

Murphy added that he would not rule out the prospect of two byes, which the league tried in 1993, and a revised schedule moving the Super Bowl to President’s Day weekend — which Florio adds the NFL has long supported. All of this would be contingent on the preseason being slashed by at least one game.

Potential issues with salaries, roster construction, additional work commitments and players’ pensions could arise with the 18/16 format, not to mention certain fan dissatisfaction for when top players must sit out certain games.

“Why is it our job to figure out how to make 18 games work as players? You tell someone you’re going to work longer and you figure out how to make it work? That doesn’t work,” Smith said. “It’s not our job to put that square peg in the round hole.

“If a coal miner is willing to spend more time in the hole, does it likely result in more money? Yeah. Is that a good thing for him as a person? Probably not. That’s the question nobody confronts. It’s easy to say it’s more money. But is it good for us? The answer is no.”

The NFL and NFLPA will reconvene from July 17-19 on their latest round of talks. Smith characterized the talks as “positive” but would not provide a timeline on their prospective conclusion. The sides want to reach an agreement before this season begins. This would come after years of Smith warning his workforce to save money in the likely event of a 2021 lockout.

Latest On CBA Discussions, Jerry Jones’ Involvement

July 2nd, 2019 at 5:27pm CST by Rory Parks

There is plenty of reason for optimism right now with respect to a new collective bargaining agreement, and we even heard today that the league and the union hope to have a new agreement hammered out before the 2019 regular season gets underway. While that is far from a certainty at this point, it’s at least encouraging that the two sides are actively trying to avoid a work stoppage like the one we saw in 2011.

One of the key figures in this round of negotiations is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Never one to shy away from the spotlight, Jones has taken a more visible and vocal role this time around after watching Patriots owner Robert Kraft take charge back in 2011. Jones reportedly wants a large share of the credit for getting the next deal done, though it’s unclear whether his involvement will facilitate matters or throw a wrench into the works.

Indeed, Florio reports that, at a recent bargaining session, Jones and Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander had a “spirited discussion” about player health and safety that created some friction. And Jones’ very public campaign against commissioner Roger Goodell in 2017 could be a source of tension, though Florio says the two men have largely reconciled.

One of the issues that Jones, his fellow owners, and the NFLPA will have to resolve is stadium credits. Albert Breer of TheMMQB (Twitter link) notes that media deals will also be a major topic of conversation — the league’s current broadcast deals expire in 2023, and the emergence of streaming services like Amazon Prime and Netflix will greatly complicate matters — and the revenue split between owners and players will be revisited.

Florio suggests that a new CBA is not likely to be agreed upon by the start of the season, and Breer likewise hears that the meetings that have taken place so far have been to identify issues, not necessarily to resolve them. Perhaps more substantive work will get done at the bargaining sessions that are currently scheduled for July 17-19.

Florio does indicate that Goodell is hoping to parlay the new CBA into a new round of media deals and then retire not long thereafter. The CBA and the network deals could be done, if not by the start of the season, then at least before the Super Bowl in February.

NFL, NFLPA Hope To Sign New CBA Soon

July 2nd, 2019 at 1:34pm CST by Zachary Links

We might not be headed towards a labor stoppage after all. Talks between the NFL and the NFLPA are set to pick up this month with an eye towards hammering out a new collective bargaining agreement before the 2019 season gets underway, a source tells ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano.

The two sides have scheduled negotiating sessions for July 17-19, marking the first time the two parties will engage in talks for three straight days. As it stands, the current CBA expires after the 2020 season, but everyone involved is taking a proactive approach to get something done well in advance.

It’s all rather promising – owners locked out players in 2011, which led to a last-minute agreement and shortened training camps. There’s optimism on both sides of the table, Graziano hears, though nothing is certain.

It would behoove both sides to get something done before March 2020. Without a new deal in place, next offseason will include new contract and salary-cap rules specific to the final year of the CBA, which means no June 1 release designations and the ability of teams to use both the franchise and transition tags to keep players off the free agent market.

Latest On NFL, NFLPA Talks

July 2nd, 2019 at 9:57am CST by Zachary Links

At least three rounds of Collective Bargaining Agreement discussions have been held, Mike Florio of PFT hears. One of the key issues being discussed is the handling of “stadium credits” – the NFL wants to push a significant amount of the money that currently is shared between owners and players to stadium construction and renovation projects.

The NFLPA, meanwhile, might not be so willing to do that. The player’s union doesn’t necessarily want to pay for the league’s stadiums and it’s not clear what they would receive in return. Furthermore, the union would likely insist on input in key decisions as they relate to stadiums or even team relocation. For example, in this scenario, Florio wonders if the union could have hypothetically blocked the Rams from moving to Los Angeles when there was a path to success available in St. Louis.

If the player’s union does get involved in the business of stadiums and gains power in terms of team relocation, it could have a direct impact on the future of the Bills in Buffalo. With a seat at the table, players may lean more towards moving teams when it means an increase in overall revenue and, by extension, more money towards the salary cap.

Latest On NFL CBA Talks, Gambling

June 24th, 2019 at 6:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

More steam is building toward a future without another NFL lockout. After a report indicating the league is increasingly motivated to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement by September to avoid the prospect oc contentious talks hanging over its 100th season, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes both sides are motivated on this front.

Part of this motivation stems from the revenue streams that legalized gambling can create, with La Canfora adding many owners are eager to see what an increased relationship with gambling can do for the league. A 2018 Supreme Court ruling opened the door to states making inroads on the gambling front, and state legislatures across the country are acting accordingly.

While a gambling component infiltrating the league could be years away, JLC adds this is being seen as a “billion-dollar” game-changer that could see future salary caps spike. The cap has gone up by approximately $10MM for most of this decade, but the new CBA — which will coincide with new television agreements and, potentially, an increased relationship with sports betting — could change that for the better.

Another sign the NFL and NFLPA are making strides: key members of both parties met recently in Chicago to discuss the CBA, Albert Breer of SI.com reports. This June 12 gathering was the third CBA-related meeting of this cycle, Breer adds, noting Roger Goodell, union chief DeMaurice Smith and select players and owners were in attendance. The other meetings occurred on April 9 and May 8, in Minneapolis and New York, respectively. A July meeting is tentatively scheduled.

Additionally, the NFLPA’s executive committee stayed in Chicago for a June 13 strategy session, per Breer. The current agreement does not expire until March 2021. The fact that the sides are meeting regularly this early points to, despite the frequent acrimony between the league and the union, a greater chance the NFL avoids the work stoppage that defined 2011.

Collective Bargaining Agreement News & Rumors