The NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement on Sunday, with the players voting in favor of the deal, proposed by the NFL. The players agreed — just barely — to move forward with the new CBA in a vote, which finished with 1,019 yeses and 959 nos. Clearly, the players were divided on whether the deal was satisfactory.
The deal, which extends through 2031, will include a 17-game regular season and an expanded playoff field. Those changes won’t take place until at least 2021. The deal also allows teams to spend more in free agency, with the salary cap set to increase in the coming seasons. Still, players didn’t seem to feel this deal was a cut-and-dried win.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady praised NFLPA president Demaurice Smith immediately after news broke that players approved the deal. Bears receiver Allen Robinson, however, quickly posted: “Trash. Freaking Trash.”
Even a former player, Le’Ron McClain, had something to say on the deal.
Smith is a controversial figure in the sports landscape. He has helped the players and the league avoid a lockout during his time as the president of the players association. Still, in the current deal, he has the players earning 48% to 48.8% of revenue, which is small when compared to the NHL (50%), MLB (roughly 50%, per MLB commissioner Rob Manfred) and the NBA (49%-51%).
Because the NFL agreed to a deal with the NFLPA, they may proceed with free agency as planned, even with the outbreak of the coronavirus, COVID-19. It’s likely the sickness will hinder teams from finalizing deals — largely because every deal is pending a physical with team doctors — but there have been no indications that the NFL will delay the process. Barring a delay in the process, the tampering window starts on March 16 and the new league year begins on March 18.
