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Players Vote To Ratify New CBA; Deal Good Through 2030 Season
As NFL.com's Grant Gordon framed it, "In a result that will reshape the NFL and bring about labor harmony for the next 11 seasons, NFL Players Association members voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement that was previously approved by NFL owners in February."
With a 1,019-959 majority vote that concluded at 11:59 p.m. ET, the players signed off on a new CBA that will begin with the upcoming 2020 season and extend through the 2030 campaign.
Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement, saying: "We are pleased that the players have voted to ratify the proposed new CBA, which will provide substantial benefits to all current and retired players, increase jobs, ensure continued progress on player safety, and give our fans more and better football."
About an hour after the vote was released, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the salary cap for the 2020 season would be $198.2 million, an increase of $10 million from last season. Overall player costs, which also counts benefits and the performance-based pay pool, per club are $242.9 million.
Notable changes in the new deal include the expected addition of two more teams to the playoff field as early as the 2020 season, an option to increase the regular season to 17 games starting in 2021, and increases in minimum salaries, performance-based pay and player revenue.
There will be an uptick in player revenue, set at 47 percent in 2020 and then at least 48 percent in 2021 with the ability to increase the percentage to a 48.5 share through a media kicker that applies in any season the league plays 17 games.
Players who earn league minimums will get an increase in salary and there will be an increase in performance-based pay, beginning with an average 12 percent increase. The league estimates that as much as an additional $100 million will go to players immediately this season.
Two additional active spots will bring rosters to 55 men, while there will be a decrease in padded practices at training camp, down from 28 to 16. Padded practices will be limited to 2.5 hours, down from 3.
Retired players will also benefit from the new deal, as they will see an increase in benefits and boost to pensions.
Changes to the drug policy include a reduction in penalties for players who test positive for THC (eliminating suspensions solely based on positive tests), an abbreviated testing window (from four months to two weeks at the start of training camp) and a significant increase in the threshold for a positive test (nanogram limit rises from 35 to 150).
With a new CBA in place, teams can set their sights on the start of the new league year, which is currently scheduled to open Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.
The deadline for teams to use either the franchise or transition tag on a player is Monday at 11:59:59 a.m. ET. Teams previously had the option to use both the franchise and transition tag under the old CBA -- a special rule in place for the final year of the deal -- but with the new agreement in place, clubs can now only use one.
Of course, given the current and ongoing coronavirus pandemic, those dates could change. In fact, there's reason to believe that's likely.
We'll be watching for any possible changes in free agency (and perhaps the NFL Draft) in coming days.