The NFL will now have labor peace for another 10 years.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN Sunday morning, sources are now saying that the NFL players voted to approve the proposed CBA, giving the NFL 10 more years of labor peace, players an increased share of revenue, former players added benefits, and the league 17-game regular seasons along with an expanded playoff field. The NFLPA confirmed Schefter’s report.
The vote by the players took place all of last week and concluded Saturday night at 11:59 p.m. EST and it was a close one, according to the NFLPA on Sunday morning.
If you’re a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the ratification of the latest CBA proposal from the owners is great news as it will result in the 30 percent going away. That rule going away will allow the Steelers to free up additional salary cap space via traditional salary cap restructures, should they decide to go that route.
As part of the new CBA, NFL minimum salaries will increase by at least $90,000 per player in 2020 and other incentive-based pay will also be implemented. Retired players also will see increases in their pensions.
Additionally, the game-day active roster will now increase from 46 to 48 players (although one of the extra players must be an offensive lineman). Practice squads will expand from 10 players to 12 in 2020 and 2021 and to 14 starting in 2022. Practice-squad salaries also are going up — the minimum salary is $8,000 per week in the current CBA, and it will rise to $11,500 by 2022 — and those players will be eligible for 401(k) and tuition assistance benefits.
Two practice-squad players per week may be elevated to the team’s roster, meaning game-week roster sizes could effectively increase from 53 to 55. And a player elevated from the practice squad to the 55-man roster could be sent back to the practice squad two times without having to clear waivers.
Now that the CBA vote deadline has come and gone and the results are now known, next up for teams is the franchise/transition tag, which is set for Monday at 11:59 a.m. EST. The Steelers have yet to announce that they will use the franchise tag on outside linebacker Bud Dupree. That announcement could come sometime on Sunday.
It will now also be interesting to see if the NFL pushes back the start of the 2020 league year, which is currently scheduled to be March 18 at 4:00 p.m. EST.
Developing story.
