NFL is where its At – The Beat Goes On

by | Mar 16, 2020 | NFL

NFL activity is about the only sports thing going on right now.  The CBA has passes and free agency is under way.  It is a much needed distraction from the chaos we have going on in the world.  With two big things going on in the NFL we will have a lot to distract us.

NFL CBA has Passed

It was a close vote.  The CBA passed by just 60 votes.  Strangely there was about 500 players that chose not to cast a vote.  I guess that is the way things go in our country.  The percentage of players that voted was actually higher than it is for most general elections we have in the United States.  The way I see it is if you don’t vote then you have no right to complain about the results.  They let the voting be extended and it was on line so there really was no excuse to not cast your vote.  There were some rumblings that some early voters wanted to change their vote.  It is unclear which direction they wanted to change their vote but they were denied so I guess it really does not matter.

The key parts of the new CBA

  • The owners will have the right to move from a 16 game schedule to a 17 game schedule.  The first year that they will be able to make this move will be the 2021 season.  Even though this is written as they “Can” make this change it should be read as they Will make the change.  There is no chance that the Owners are not going to take that extra revenue.  It is just too much to pass up.  The players don’t like it now but after a few years they really just won’t care that much.  I thought 16 was a good number but one extra game.  So be it.
  • Expanded Rosters – The expanded rosters is a pretty big deal. Teams will get to dress two extra players for games. Going from 46 to 48 players. The practice squad will also increase by two players going from 10 to 12. The 53 man roster will now become 55. The rules about moving players from practice squad to active will also be relaxed. This instantly adds 128 jobs to the league. This is a good thing for the players.
  • Two teams will be added to the playoffs.  One in each conference.  This will make 7 teams in each conference.  By adding one team to make an uneven number there will only be one teams that gets a bye the first weekend of the playoffs.  This will give a lot of incentive for a team that could get the bye to try harder to get there.  It will also keep more teams in the mix to stay alive for that last playoff spot.  I thought that the 12 teams format was fine but do not have a problem with adding two more teams.  Even with 14 teams that still makes less than half the teams make the playoffs.  It is still an exclusive club and it will be interesting to see how this works out for the team that is the last in and the team that gets the bye.
  • Change in Drug Policy – This is probably one that got a lot of the players to vote yes on the new CBA.  Changing what will be tested and what the punishment was going to be were huge things in this agreement.  The biggest one being the change in the marijuana policy.  There will be no more suspensions for marijuana.  That is really just following along with what is going on in our society with the legalization of marijuana.  That was something sure to catch the players attention.
  • Increase revenue sharing.  The revenue that will be guaranteed to the players is also going up. It could go over 48% which is also the lowest it will be. This is also a good thing for the players.

There is a lot of good in this deal for the players.  I am also sure that the owners got a better deal than the players.  The owners knew exactly which players to target.   There are more players that make close to the league minimum.  Give those players more money and you are almost certainly going to get them to say yes.  The owners did not become billionaires with out knowing how to manipulate people.  Clearly since the players that are getting the larger pay were against it there was some bad in there.  I am all for players getting as much as they can.  I do however have difficulty feeling bad for someone making $20 million a year.

This will bring labor peace for the NFL through at least the 2030 season.  Here is to ten years of no worry about a stoppage in play.

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