Collective Bargaining Agreement News & Rumors

2024 Fifth-Year Option Salaries Revealed

February 7th, 2023 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

This will be the third offseason for the tiered fifth-year option format. The NFL’s 2020 CBA changed the option structure for first-round picks, fully guaranteeing the options but doing so based on performance and usage rate. The 2011 CBA gave teams flexibility by making the options guaranteed for injury only, allowing franchises to cut players free of charge as long as they passed March physicals. The 2018, ’19 and ’20 draft classes have now gained access to fully guaranteed options.

Players who have been original invitees to two or more Pro Bowls reside on the top tier. Here is how those numbers will look in 2023, courtesy of SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter):

Quarterback: $32.42MM
Running back: $10.09MM
Wide receiver: $19.74MM
Tight end: $11.35MM
Offensive line: $18.24MM
Defensive end: $19.73MM
Defensive tackle: $18.94MM
Linebacker: $20.93MM
Cornerback: $18.14MM
Safety: $14.46MM
Kicker/punter: $5.39MM

If those numbers look familiar, they are equal to this year’s nonexclusive franchise tag figures. The second tier consists of one-time Pro Bowlers; those figures match the 2023 transition tag numbers.

Quarterback: $29.5MM
Running back: $8.43MM
Wide receiver: $17.99MM
Tight end: $9.72MM
Offensive linemen: $16.66MM
Defensive end: $17.45MM
Defensive tackle: $16.1MM
Linebacker: $17.48MM
Cornerback: $15.79MM
Safety: $11.87MM
Kicker/punter: $4.87MM

Participation impacts the final two tiers. Players who achieve any of the following will get the average of the third-20th highest salaries at their position. Tier 3 consists of players who played at least 75% in two of their first three seasons, those who averaged at least a 75% snap share through three seasons or those who crossed the 50% snap barrier in each of their initial three slates.

Quarterback: $23.17MM
Running back: $5.99MM
Wide receiver: $14.12MM
Tight end: $7.23MM
Offensive line: $14.18MM
Defensive end: $13.12MM
Defensive tackle: $11.67MM
Linebacker: $12.72MM
Cornerback: $12.34MM
Safety: $8.37MM
Kicker/punter: $3.98MM

The fourth and final tier consists of players who failed to reach those participation rates:

Quarterback: $20.27MM
Running back: $5.46MM
Wide receiver: $12.99MM
Tight end: $6.57MM
Offensive line: $12.57MM
Defensive end: $12.14MM
Defensive tackle: $10.46MM
Linebacker: $11.73MM
Cornerback: $11.51MM
Safety: $7.68MM
Kicker/punter: $3.71MM

Teams have until May 1 to exercise or decline players’ fifth-year options. Option declines will make those players 2024 unrestricted free agents.

Only Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson and Buccaneers tackle Tristan Wirfs will be eligible for the first tier. Despite Justin Herbert being designated the AFC’s Pro Bowl starter last year and winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020, the Chargers star only has received one original Pro Bowl invite. Ditto Joe Burrow, who received his first invite this season. The AFC’s deep Pro Bowl contingent did not include Burrow in 2021, while this year’s Patrick Mahomes-fronted group excluded Herbert.

While this will allow the Bengals and Chargers slight discounts for their centerpieces’ 2024 options, both teams should be expected to begin extension talks this offseason. The Cardinals did so with Kyler Murray last year, locking him down through 2028 and rendering his 2023 fifth-year option moot. The Giants did not discuss an extension with Daniel Jones, and the contract-year QB transformed his value this season.

Despite his 2021 and ’22 seasons being largely defined by injuries, Commanders defensive end Chase Young does as well. Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb is also on Tier 2, thanks to his 2022 Pro Bowl nod. Giants tackle Andrew Thomas and Falcons cornerback AJ Terrell have emerged as quality performers at their positions, each being named second-team All-Pros (Terrell in 2021, Thomas this season). Neither have received Pro Bowl invitations, however, dropping them down to Tier 3.

2023 Salary Cap To Rise Past $220MM?

December 8th, 2022 at 3:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the pandemic-induced salary cap reduction in 2021, the NFL’s salary ceiling climbed to $208MM this year. More growth is expected, though issues leave its precise spike to be determined.

When owners and other execs gather next week in Dallas for the latest set of meetings, they could receive an estimate of next year’s cap. Such a figure is usually provided at this point, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero note a “normal calculation of projected revenues” would produce a cap figure well north of $220MM. But no cap projection has yet been made, per NFL.com.

In the narrow window between the CBA going out for ratification and the COVID-19 virus becoming 2020’s defining story, cap spikes surpassing those of the 2010s were expected to emerge in the early years of this CBA. Bumps from the latest round of TV deals were set to trigger those. While the pandemic altered this path, the league’s new TV contracts are set to kick in next year. The NFL agreed to its latest round of TV accords before this year’s cap figure was determined, and the 2023 cap was believed to be when the windfall from those contracts would begin to be reflected on team budgets.

The CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN and Amazon TV pacts, which begin next season and run through 2033, were agreed to in March 2021. But the league has not yet finalized a Sunday Ticket provider; that is a factor as well. The media kicker in the 2020 CBA could increase players’ revenue from 48% to 48.8%, which NFL.com notes is a potential nine-figure bump for the players. The Sunday Ticket component affects the revenue projection, thus holding up cap finality.

Various NFL teams, however, are using $222.5MM and $225MM projections, CBS Sports’ Joel Corry tweets. OverTheCap is using $225MM as its 2023 projection. This would not match the change from 2020-21, when the cap vaulted from $182.5MM to $208MM after empty stadiums and reduced-capacity crowds in 2020 brought an unusual period for the league’s finances. But going up to even $222.5MM would represent a bigger bump than anything the 2011 CBA brought. Under the previous CBA, the biggest single-year cap move happened in 2016, when it rose from $143.3MM to $155.3MM.

Regardless of where it lands, another cap record is coming, with more growth in store for 2024 and beyond. That will do well to help teams retain players and enable more position-record salaries.

NFL, NFLPA Announce Pro Bowl Replacement Format

September 29th, 2022 at 11:52am CST by Sam Robinson

With the Pro Bowl as we know it going away, the structure of the retooled event came into focus Thursday. The NFL and NFLPA announced an early version of what will be replacing the decades-long all-star game.

Calling it a “replacement event,” the league and the union announced the players selected will be required to participate (barring injury). That marks a change from the 2020 CBA, which indicated participation in a Pro Bowl replacement voluntary. While it is worth speculating whether the term “Pro Bowler” will remain in place, it will be interesting to see if nearly as many alternates will be named compared to the recent past, which saw numerous primary and auxiliary alternate players given Pro Bowl invites.

A series of skills challenges — including dodgeball, quarterback drills, “best catch” and “thread the needle” — will take place during the usual Pro Bowl week. On the Sunday before Super Bowl LVII, a seven-on-seven flag football event will be held. Only skill-position players, as is the case in seven-on-seven sessions, will participate in that game. Other skill-related activities, presumably for linemen and specialists, will be on tap for that revamped Sunday.

Players representing the conference declared the winner — based on various scores from the skills events — will receive $84K, while the losing conference’s all-stars will collect $42K. To receive a share, players must participate in the Sunday event and at least one game-week event. This is unchanged from the shares players would receive for Pro Bowl participation.

The Pro Bowl had been in place since 1938, but as the exhibition declined in popularity, calls for its end came for several years. Starters frequently bowed out, and the game’s effort level was understandably not comparable to regular contests. In 2016, an NFL-record 135 players were named Pro Bowlers, due to the number of alternates needed to be invited to ensure full rosters, while ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert adds 125 were summoned in 2017. The alternate count led to the “Pro Bowler” label losing luster. The skills challenge week, or however it will be referred this year, almost certainly will not need that many players to fill out rosters, perhaps leading to a more consistent number of all-stars each year.

Key Dates On 2022-23 NFL Calendar

June 16th, 2022 at 5:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL recently announced important dates for the remainder of 2022 on through the 2023 offseason. Here are some dates to file away during these periods:

Key dates remaining on the 2022 NFL calendar:

Franchise tag extension deadline: July 15, 2022
Deadline for players given UFA tenders to sign with other teams: July 22
Roster cutdown from 90 to 85 players: August 16
Roster cutdown to 80 players: August 23
Roster cutdown to 53 players: 3pm CT, August 30
Post-cutdown waiver claims due: 11am CT, August 31
NFL trade deadline: 3pm CT, November 1
Vested veterans (if cut) become subject to waivers: November 2
Deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign tenders: November 15

Key dates for the 2023 offseason:

Franchise and transition tag period: February 21-March 7, 2023
Legal tampering period: March 13-15
Start of 2023 league year and free agency: 3pm CT, March 15
Offseason workouts: April 3 (for teams with new head coaches); April 17 (for all other teams)
Restricted free agency signing period ends: April 21
Last day to match RFA offer sheets: April 26
2023 NFL draft: April 27-29
Deadline to exercise fifth-year options: May 1

The NFL is again using the three-tiered cutdown structure, using the 90-to-85-to-80-to-53 setup for a second straight year. The in-season deadline pertaining to tagged players has not been a storyline since Le’Veon Bell‘s 2018 holdout, which led to the first skipped season by a tagged performer in 20 years. Jessie Bates (Bengals), Orlando Brown Jr. (Chiefs), Mike Gesicki (Dolphins) and Dalton Schultz (Cowboys) remain attached to the tag. Anyone who has not signed their tender would be prohibited from playing this season if unsigned by the mid-November date. Gesicki and Schultz have signed their tenders.

Justin Houston is the only player still attached to a UFA tender, which the Ravens assigned last month. He has until July 22 to sign with another team. Otherwise, the Ravens will have exclusive negotiating rights until November 15, when Houston must sign or be prevented from playing in 2022.

Next year’s draft will take place in Kansas City, Missouri. On the whole, the 2023 dates are in line with the NFL’s usual offseason calendar.

After its second-ever decline, in 2021, the salary cap is expected to balloon from its $208.2MM 2022 perch. Free agents can begin official negotiations with other teams beginning at 11am CT on March 13. No deals can become official until the start of the 2023 league year two days later.

Wide receivers represent some of next year’s franchise tag candidates. D.K. Metcalf, Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin are entering contract years. Although the Seahawks, 49ers and Commanders, respectively, want to extend the pass catchers, the tag represents a last-ditch option. Next year will represent the third offseason for the usage- and performance-based fifth-year option system, which features fully guaranteed options.

Latest On WR Odell Beckham Jr.

February 20th, 2022 at 9:39pm CST by Ely Allen

Recent Super Bowl LVI champion Odell Beckham Jr. is facing free agency this offseason. Beckham has expressed his desire to remain in Los Angeles and the Rams let it be known that the feeling was mutual.

Unfortunately, Beckham suffered a torn ACL in the Rams’ Super Bowl victory. The knee injured was the same one Beckham injured in the 2020 season. The re-injury combined with the late timing of the injury should lead to Beckham missing time in the 2022 NFL season.

Normally, a player with an expiring contract like Beckham’s would be out of luck, as they wouldn’t be eligible for injury protection. But, due to pending arbitration between the league and the union, Beckham may end up qualifying for the protection.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement provides injury protection for players with non-guaranteed salaries in the season after they suffer an injury that prevents them from playing. When Beckham was injured, although he was technically headed to free agency, he had future years on his contract.

The purpose of the future years was to spread out Beckham’s cap hit. He signed a fully guaranteed one-year deal for $1.25MM. The contract would be paid out as a base salary in 2021 of $750,000 with a $500,000 signing bonus. The signing bonus was structured to pay out $100,000 annually over the next five years. The first $100,000 would count against the Rams’ 2021 cap along with the base salary. The remaining $400,000 would count against the Rams’ 2022 cap space.

The arbitration mentioned above is over whether or not those voided years in Beckham’s contract could make him eligible for the CBA’s injury protection. The injury protection would entitle Beckham to a salary up to $2MM. In the voided contract, Beckham’s base salary for 2022 is $1.12MM, meaning that, if the arbitration rules in favor of Beckham, Beckham will receive the entirety of that amount.

The good news is that, even if the arbitration rules against him, Beckham’s 2021 contract had $3MM worth of team-based incentives built in, and, en route to winning the Super Bowl, Beckham cashed in on every single incentive.

Still, this all is hypothetical. In theory, knowing the Rams would like to keep Beckham in LA, and acknowledging the crucial role he played in adding the Lombardi to their trophy room, the Rams will give Beckham a deal indicative of his contributions, despite not being legally obligated to do so.

NFL To Allow HC Interviews On Dec. 28

December 15th, 2021 at 11:16am CST by Zachary Links

NFL owners have voted to allow head coaching interviews in the final two weeks of the regular season (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). This will be conducted as a one-year trial, beginning on Tuesday, December 28.

The league’s previous rule set prevented employed NFL coaches from interviewing in the final weeks of the season. The new rule may allow teams to accelerate the process, though the current employer still reserves the right to refuse any request.

In the near-term, this resolution could impact the Jaguars who are surely having second thoughts about head coach Urban Meyer. For what it’s worth, owner Shad Khan says he won’t make any rash decisions.

“I want to do the right thing for the team. I want to do the right thing for the city,” Khan said this week. “That, to me, is way more important than just acting helter-skelter on emotion. I think we have a history of really looking at the facts and then really doing the right thing.”

The Bears (Matt Nagy), Giants (Joe Judge), and Vikings (Mike Zimmer) could also take advantage of this new wrinkle.

NFL’s 2022 Salary Cap To Reach $208.2MM

December 14th, 2021 at 6:58pm CST by Ely Allen

December 14th, 6:58pm: The NFL has officially informed clubs that the 2022 cap will indeed be projected at $208.2MM, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).

December 5th, 3:02pm: Back in May, the NFL and NFL Players Association met in May and agreed to a salary cap for the 2022 season of $208.2MM. There was some speculation that the numbers may change based on a few different factors, and while the official, final number has not been announced, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report that it’s expected to be revealed at the NFL’s annual labor seminar next week that the cap will indeed reach the all-time high mark of $208.2MM.

The league’s previous high was in 2020 at $198.2MM. The cap had shown consistent growth each year with an average annual increase from 2013-2020 of $10.74MM per year. This trend was disrupted by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic which caused a loss of gate revenue and other income for the league. Because of those setbacks, the salary cap was reduced to $182.5MM for the 2021 season. The nearly $16MM cap reduction is not a complete reflection of the revenue lost by the NFL last year, since the NFL and NFLPA came to an agreement to spread out the anticipated losses over several years, as opposed to incurring it all at once.

The $10MM increase from the league’s previous high is about what the league expected the 2021 salary cap to rise to before the pandemic. This return to the expected increase doesn’t necessarily reflect a return to normalcy. It’s more of a sign of what may be to come as the losses from last year are already being offset by a potential increase in future revenue. The NFL is seeing, and will continue to see, an increase in revenue from the addition of a 17th game in the regular season, expanded playoffs, an influx of new gambling money, new TV deals, and many other new revenue streams.

It is even expected that the 2023 season will see another significant increase to the salary cap. The NFLPA is still recovering, paying back the league for what was essentially a low-interest loan that allowed players to continue making full salaries and bonuses last year, in addition to paying back players for benefits that were canceled in 2020, like performance-based pay, Pro Bowl pay, and tuition pay. But an increase is still to be expected when media “kickers” from the 2020 collective bargaining agreements are put into effect as money comes in from new TV deals. The “kickers” should increase the players’ share of revenue from 48% to as high as 48.8%.

The biggest takeaway from all of this should be that the moves and decisions made by both the league and the union show confidence that the league is done being affected financially by the global pandemic and that both sides are doing everything they can to protect the players from feeling that financial burden.

NFL To Keep 2020 Roster Rules In Place

July 23rd, 2021 at 3:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The roster flexibility the NFL gave teams amid the COVID-19 pandemic last season will remain in place for the 2021 campaign, according to ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert. The league may go back to its more restrictive standard setup someday, but it will not happen this season.

Teams will have the option of bringing players off injured reserve after three weeks, and there will continue to be no limitations on how many players return from IR per team. Not that long ago, an IR designation meant a player’s season was over. Then, the NFL steadily loosened restrictions on this roster move during the 2010s. Last season, injured players returned to active rosters regularly; they will be in position to do so again this year.

Additionally, practice squads will remain at 16 players. They resided at 10 in 2019, but the pandemic-era change expanded them. Teams also can carry six players with more than two accrued seasons on their respective taxi squads. The 2020 CBA was set to expand practice squads, but they were only slated to be at 12 in 2021. Although this COVID-induced adjustment may not be permanent, more players will have NFL jobs again in 2021.

While teams are not expected to face as many coronavirus-caused roster crunches this season, given the vaccines’ emergence, select players have been placed on reserve/COVID-19 lists to start training camp. As a whole, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes that 16 teams have surpassed the 85% vaccination threshold. That number has been steadily ticking up in the weeks leading to camp. All but five teams are at least 70% vaccinated.

Key Dates For 2022 NFL Offseason

June 23rd, 2021 at 1:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL and NFL Players Association have scheduled most of their key dates for the 2022 offseason. Here’s the breakdown, via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link):

Franchise and Transition Tag Period: February 22 — March 8, 2022
Start Of 2022 League Year and Free Agency: March 16, 2022 (4pm ET)
2022 NFL Draft: April 28-30, 2022
Offseason Workouts: April 4 (for teams with new head coaches); April 18 (for all other teams)
Restricted Free Agency Signing Period Ends: April 22, 2022
Last Day To Match RFA Offer Sheets: April 27, 2022

The 2022 NFL Draft will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada as a mulligan for the pandemic-altered draft of 2020. On the whole, these dates are in line with the NFL’s usual calendar, save for 2020.

The 2022 salary cap is expected to fall around $208MM, up from this year’s $182.5MM figure. As it stands, the free agent class is slated to include Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson, and Chiefs offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. Of course, for Adams and other stars, there’s still lots of time for an extension to keep them from the open market.

Expanded Practice Squads, Adjusted IR Format Likely To Remain In 2021

June 2nd, 2021 at 2:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement calls for a 12-man practice squad in 2021, but the league’s 2020 COVID-19-induced expansion is expected to remain in place this coming season.

Sixteen-man practice squads are likely to stay for 2021, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). In addition, the 2020 modification that allowed teams more injured reserve flexibility is on track to return as well. Both teams and players supported these tweaks last year, creating momentum for their returns in 2021.

It was not too long ago that an IR designation meant a player was out for the season. The league has slowly allowed loosened the reins in this area, creating multiple IR-return slots during the 2010s. The pandemic, however, prompted the NFL and NFLPA to implement a policy that permitted teams to return players from IR to active rosters after just three weeks. Teams enjoyed an unlimited number of IR transactions in 2020, creating roster flexibility instead of a setup in which certain players needed to remain on IR despite having recovered from their respective injuries.

The CBA was set to expand practice squads to 12 last year and to 14 by 2022, but with the pandemic creating rampant uncertainty regarding player availability, the league’s taxi squads jumped from 10 to 16 from 2019-20. It appears fringe roster candidates will have more opportunities to develop on practice squads again this season.

The league and union remain in negotiations on the coming season’s COVID protocols, Pelissero tweets. The sides gave up on negotiating an offseason program, however, creating a muddled setup for OTAs and minicamps. But the sides appear to be in lockstep on certain fronts, allowing for rare cooperation.

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