Tyler Conway Brynn Anderson/Associated Press @jtylerconway Featured Columnist
The NFLPA voted to ratify the proposed collective bargaining agreement Sunday, with 1,019 players voting in favor of the deal and 959 opposed.
For players, that means the very public fracturing of opinion leading into this vote carried out behind the scenes.
t
A 17-game regular season is coming-just not yet. The 2020 season will feature 16 regular season games and four preseason games. Ownership has the option of expanding the regular season to 17 games, beginning with the 2021 season. That change appears inevitable.
t
The playoffs are expanding right now. A seventh team is being added to the playoffs in each conference, meaning there will be a total of six Wild Card games. Only the No. 1 team in each conference receives a bye.
t
The preseason will be shortened when the 17-game regular season kicks in. Teams will play only three preseason games when ownership expands the regular season.
t
Players get more money. The new CBA calls for players to receive 48 percent of the league's revenue beginning in 2021, which is up from 47 percent in 2020. That share will increase to 48.5 percent in the event of a 17th regular-season game being added.
t
Roster size and practice squad limits increase. Teams can now have 55 active players on their roster and 14 players on their practice squad, up from 53 active players and 10 practice squad members.
t
Major changes to drug-testing policy. The new CBA eliminates suspensions for positive drug tests, instead instituting fines for up to three weeks' pay. A failure to cooperate with testing and clinical care is the only violation that results in a suspension-and that comes after the fourth violation. The new CBA also shortens the window for testing from four months to two weeks at the beginning of training camp and increases the threshold for a positive test for marijuana.
t
Salary increases, particularly for minimum-contract players. Players with less than one year of NFL experience now have a minimum salary of $610,000, up from $510,000. The minimum salary will increase gradually to $1.1 million by 2030. Players with one year of experience will have a $675,000 minimum, with increases to $1.2 million by 2030. Players with seven or more years of experience have a new minimum of $1.1 million, gradually increasing to $1.5 million by 2030.
t
Increases to suspensions for PEDs, DUIs. A first positive test for steroids carries a six-game suspension, up from four games. DUIs now carry a three-game suspension, an increase from two games.
t
Disciplinary cases will be heard by an independent arbitrator. Roger Goodell will no longer handle suspensions and appeals by players, as he had under the previous agreement.
t
Changes to rookie-scale contracts make decisions on first-round picks harder. Under the new CBA, a first-round pick's fifth-year option becomes fully guaranteed if exercised by his team. Under the previous agreement, it was guaranteed for injury only. Fifth-year options are now also performance-based, rather than being based on when a player was drafted.
But what does it mean for fans? Well, first of all, there will be football for at least the next decade-the labor agreement stretches until March 2031.
As for everything else, here is a quick point-by-point explainer of the major differences in the new CBA:
