Following a few tweaks after a meeting between the negotiations committees in Indianapolis, the NFL Players Association Board of Player Representatives have voted to send the proposed collective bargaining agreement to the full membership for a vote. This is the latest step toward a new ten-year agreement between players and ownership.
The current CBA doesn’t expire until the end of the 2020 season, but owners and players have been negotiating for ten months on a new ten-year agreement that could take effect in the next several days and last through 2030.
Owners voted last week to approve the negotiated contract, but the NFLPA executive board voted down moving on with the contract language in a close 6-5 vote. After negotiations this week changed a few details, the NFLPA Board of Player Representatives approved the contract overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday in a 17-14 vote with one abstention. (The executive board did not re-vote.)
The Buffalo Bills’ player rep is fullback Patrick DiMarco with linebacker Lorenzo Alexander on the executive committee.
Major changes are in place for the proposed CBA including adding another playoff team in each conference bringing the total to seven, adding a regular season game to the schedule beginning in 2021, reducing the number of preseason game from four to three, further reducing the amount of contact and the structure of training camp, increasing the revenue share for the players from 47% to 48.5% on a 17-game schedule, and increasing job opportunities and salaries for the players at the bottom of the roster.
One major sticking point seems to have been resolved from last week to this week, as NFL players will receive a pro-rated check for 1/16th of their base salary to play in the additional 17th regular season game. That number had initially been capped at $250,000 in the agreement discussed last week.
It’s unclear when players will vote on the new contract, though the NFLPA’s annual meeting is March 8-11 in South Florida. A simple majority of the approximately 2000 voting members is required for approval.