A hotly contested collective bargaining agreement was ratified by the players on Sunday by a vote of 1,019 to 959, resulting in 10 years of labor peace between the NFL owners and the players association.
While many players were upset the vote passed, including many Seattle Seahawks, the new deal ultimately provides players with a slightly bigger piece of the overall revenue stream, while also relaxing the rules on drug testing.
Here are four key takeaways from the new collective bargaining agreement, and how it will impact the Seahawks and the NFL as a whole for the next decade.
Takeaway No. 1: Season Length
The NFL regular season will increase from 16 games to 17 games, starting in 2021. This was perhaps the most contentious point in the entire argument, with owners heavily in favor of more football (and more revenue opportunities) while players did not want to add another game.
Additionally, compensation for that final game was an issue, with an original proposal only playing players $250,000 per game, regardless of their contract status. That has since been changed to pay players the full prorated portion of their contract, even if it exceeds $250k.
For reference, Russell Wilson’s current contract will pay him just under $2 million dollars per game – a far far cry from the $250,000 originally offered for what would often be one of the most stressful games of the regular season.
The players will still play the same number of football games, however, as the CBA also cut down the number of preseason games from four to three starting in 2021.
The fourth week will turn into a bye week, giving teams a chance to rest before the start of the regular season.
Takeaway No. 2: Splitting the Revenue Stream
The new CBA will guarantee players 48% of the league’s overall revenue stream, with the potential for 48.8% through a media kicker which applies when the league plays 17 game seasons.
The players were previously guaranteed 47%, so this represents a small bump for the players. However, they still fall short of every other major sports league, with the NBA between 49-51%, the NHL at at least 50% and the MLB at roughly 50% as well.
Many players argued against the new CBA for this reason in particular, including Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
“The NBA & MLB are doing it right,” Wilson wrote in a tweet. “Players come first. ALL NFL players deserve the same. WE should not rush the next 10 YEARS for Today’s satisfaction.”
Wilson and the rest of the players will have to settle for a smaller portion of the pie than the rest of the major sports leagues, despite playing a sport with much higher injury risk.
Takeaway No. 3: New drug testing and discipline
The NFL is seriously relaxing their policy on drug testing and disciplinary action, particularly in regards to marijuana.
The window for testing is narrowing from four months to just two weeks, at the start of training camp, and it will reduce the number of players who are subjected to testing.
Additionally, the amount of THC that qualifies as a positive test will increase from 35 nanograms to 150 nanograms, while the penalty for a positive test will no longer include suspension.
Finally, a neutral third-party decision-maker will be tasked with handling drug-related disciplinary actions, taking the power out of the hands of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
This will obviously have an impact around the entire league, but it seems likely to make more of an impact in states where marijuana use is already legal and widely accepted – including Washington.
Takeaway No. 4: Bigger rosters and practice squads
This new CBA will expand the regular season roster from 53 players to 55, while also allowing the gameday roster to increase from 46 to 48.
Additionally, practice squad rosters will increase from 10 to 14, and the pay for a practice squad player will increase to $10,500 per week, a jump of $2,500 dollars weekly.
This rule likely had a huge part in the CBA passing. Most NFL players are fringe roster candidates who don’t get paid the millions of dollars that top-tier players do – so they voted in their self-interest.
By increasing roster size and practice squad size, while also agreeing to more pay for those players, it will help a lot of fringe roster candidates with job security and financial security in the short term.
Regardless, the NFL and the Player’s Association now have 10 years of labor peace and can turn their attention to the start of free agency – which is set to begin on Wednesday but could be delayed thanks to concerns over the coronavirus.
