The 2020 NFL league year will get underway a month from now and thus there’s still time for the team owners and the NFLPA to come to an agreement that would result in an extension of the CBA, which is currently set to expire after the 2020 season. With time slowly running out to get a CBA extension worked out prior to the start of the 2020 league in March, there now seems to be some positive developments in negotiations taking place this week, according to one longtime major media member.
According to a Wednesday afternoon report by Michael Silver of NFL Media, team owners have now been summoned to New York for a meeting later this week regarding the status of labor negotiations with the NFLPA. Silver goes on to report that significant progress has been made toward a new CBA, but that the two sides remain far apart on some outstanding issues. Also according to Silver’s Wednesday report, a new deal–which will likely be predicated on a 17-game regular season that would launch sometime between 2021 and 2023–could possibly be ratified before March 18, and thus go into effect in time for the start of the 2020 league year.
This is certainly a positive and big development and we’ll now have to wait and see if it stands to be true and if the team owner meeting in New York ultimately takes place later this week. With the annual NFL scouting combine taking place next week in Indianapolis, IN, perhaps even more positive CBA extension developments will take place in the next week to 10 days.
Having a CBA extension in place in time for the start of the 2020 league year in mid-March would likely really work greatly in the favor of the Pittsburgh Steelers and mainly regarding their salary cap situation. Assuming an extended CBA in the coming weeks results in 30 percent rule going away, which it should, it would make it much, much easier for the Steelers to massage their own 2020 salary cap situation via possible contract restructures and extensions. Such salary cap massaging would likely make it much easier for the Steelers to afford keeping outside linebacker Bud Dupree for at least the 2020 season.
CBA extension talks will be a primary talking point during next week’s scouting combine so look for us to pass along any and all developments associated with the topic as they surface.
