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***OFFICIAL*** NFL 2020 Season News Thread (COVID-19 Edition)
- Thread starter Penny Traitor
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dag54
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dag54
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get Roquan Smith an ankle monitor.
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Raiders owner says canceling the entire NFL season is still one of three options the league has for 2020
Raiders owner Mark Davis has officially gone rogue. Back in May, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent out a memo where he asked each of the league's 32 owners not to comment or speculate on how the 2020 season might play out. Apparently, Davis either didn't get that memo or he decided to ignore it because the Raiders owner offered some interesting speculation about how the year might play out. During an interview with ESPN.com, Davis revealed that he thinks there's still a possibility that the 2020 season could be completely canceled, which is an option the league hasn't ever publicly mentioned.
According to Davis, the NFL basically has three options for the upcoming season. Via ESPN, here are those options:
1. Go on as planned, with teams reporting for training camp over the next week, and see what happens.
2. Delay the start of the season until November and go to a 12-game season, canceling each team's four interconference games (AFC vs. NFC).
3. Cancel the 2020 season entirely.
Obviously, it's all going to come down to how whether or not NFL players can avoid coronavirus, which is why Davis doesn't sound completely convinced that a season is going to happen.
"I don't even know if it's safe to play. 'Uncertainty' is the word," Davis said. "Everything is up in the air with the virus and how it will affect our league and season."
One thing that's not clear is if Davis was sharing his own personal opinion or if the three options were an informed opinion based on conversations he's had with the NFL and the league's other owners (The NFL has had several teleconferences with the owners this season to try and figure out the logistics to the season). If Davis' opinion is based on conversations from those teleconferences, he might have just revealed how uneasy everyone around the league is about trying to pull off a season.
Of the three options listed, the NFL is definitely trying to pull off option one right now, which is "Have everyone report to training camp and see what happens."
The league has been working closely with the NFLPA over the past several days in order to figure out the answers to the multiple questions related to the pandemic. The NFLPA wanted daily testing and zero preseason games, and it will be getting both after the NFL agreed to the demands this week.
Of course, one question that still hasn't been answered is what will happen if there's a full-on outbreak of the virus toward the end of training camp or during the season. Based on Davis' list, it seems the league would simply cancel each team's four inter-conference games, and then try to play the other 12. The NFL also has several contingency plans built into the schedule. For instance, there are zero divisional games being played in Weeks 3 or 4, which means if worst comes to worst, those two weeks could likely be chopped off the schedule.
If option 2 doesn't solve things, Davis seems to think that will take us to the NFL version of Def Con 1: A full cancellation of the season. If Davis still views this as an option, it's very possible that other owners are also thinking about it.
Although canceling the season is a drastic option, it definitely doesn't seem to be one the NFL is thinking about right now. As a matter of fact, based on what has transpired over the past few days, the NFL probably feels better than ever before about holding a season. The players clearly want to play and since the NFL has been meeting most of their demands related to the virus, everyone has agreed to show up for training camp, which means as long as there isn't a gigantic outbreak among NFL teams, there's a good chance we're going to see a regular season this year. Although there are still some details that need to be ironed out -- like how an opt-out will work for players -- the league and the NFLPA seem to now be on the same side for most issues.
As for Davis, even if the season gets played, there's a good chance that there won't be any fans in Las Vegas to see it. Davis has already announced that he won't attend any games in-person this season if Raiders fans can't attend, and it's looking more and more like Raiders fans won't be allowed to attend any games for what will be the team's inaugural year in Las Vegas.
Raiders owner Mark Davis has officially gone rogue. Back in May, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent out a memo where he asked each of the league's 32 owners not to comment or speculate on how the 2020 season might play out. Apparently, Davis either didn't get that memo or he decided to ignore it because the Raiders owner offered some interesting speculation about how the year might play out. During an interview with ESPN.com, Davis revealed that he thinks there's still a possibility that the 2020 season could be completely canceled, which is an option the league hasn't ever publicly mentioned.
According to Davis, the NFL basically has three options for the upcoming season. Via ESPN, here are those options:
1. Go on as planned, with teams reporting for training camp over the next week, and see what happens.
2. Delay the start of the season until November and go to a 12-game season, canceling each team's four interconference games (AFC vs. NFC).
3. Cancel the 2020 season entirely.
Obviously, it's all going to come down to how whether or not NFL players can avoid coronavirus, which is why Davis doesn't sound completely convinced that a season is going to happen.
"I don't even know if it's safe to play. 'Uncertainty' is the word," Davis said. "Everything is up in the air with the virus and how it will affect our league and season."
One thing that's not clear is if Davis was sharing his own personal opinion or if the three options were an informed opinion based on conversations he's had with the NFL and the league's other owners (The NFL has had several teleconferences with the owners this season to try and figure out the logistics to the season). If Davis' opinion is based on conversations from those teleconferences, he might have just revealed how uneasy everyone around the league is about trying to pull off a season.
Of the three options listed, the NFL is definitely trying to pull off option one right now, which is "Have everyone report to training camp and see what happens."
The league has been working closely with the NFLPA over the past several days in order to figure out the answers to the multiple questions related to the pandemic. The NFLPA wanted daily testing and zero preseason games, and it will be getting both after the NFL agreed to the demands this week.
Of course, one question that still hasn't been answered is what will happen if there's a full-on outbreak of the virus toward the end of training camp or during the season. Based on Davis' list, it seems the league would simply cancel each team's four inter-conference games, and then try to play the other 12. The NFL also has several contingency plans built into the schedule. For instance, there are zero divisional games being played in Weeks 3 or 4, which means if worst comes to worst, those two weeks could likely be chopped off the schedule.
If option 2 doesn't solve things, Davis seems to think that will take us to the NFL version of Def Con 1: A full cancellation of the season. If Davis still views this as an option, it's very possible that other owners are also thinking about it.
Although canceling the season is a drastic option, it definitely doesn't seem to be one the NFL is thinking about right now. As a matter of fact, based on what has transpired over the past few days, the NFL probably feels better than ever before about holding a season. The players clearly want to play and since the NFL has been meeting most of their demands related to the virus, everyone has agreed to show up for training camp, which means as long as there isn't a gigantic outbreak among NFL teams, there's a good chance we're going to see a regular season this year. Although there are still some details that need to be ironed out -- like how an opt-out will work for players -- the league and the NFLPA seem to now be on the same side for most issues.
As for Davis, even if the season gets played, there's a good chance that there won't be any fans in Las Vegas to see it. Davis has already announced that he won't attend any games in-person this season if Raiders fans can't attend, and it's looking more and more like Raiders fans won't be allowed to attend any games for what will be the team's inaugural year in Las Vegas.
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JULY 31ST is the decision date for college games and college attendance. We have a conference call with the SEC at 9am. Should I send everyone an invite to it? Lol
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Season's impact on future salary caps central to NFL talks, sources say; NFLPA reps to talk Friday
NFL Players Association team player representatives are scheduled to convene on a conference call Friday morning as the players work to finalize an agreement with team owners on the rules and finances of the 2020 NFL season, according to sources.
The sources said the two sides were still negotiating Thursday night on at least three key points:
Rules for the training camp acclimation period.
Procedures via which players could opt out of the season for coronavirus-related reasons and what would happen to the contracts of those who do.
How to handle the league's long-term finances and salary caps of future years in the wake of projected 2020 revenue loss as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sources on both sides of the talks said the hope was to get everything wrapped up by the time teams report to camp. With Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs players scheduled to report this weekend and begin COVID-19 testing, the window for accomplishing that is growing smaller, but Thursday night's round of talks ended with optimism that a deal could be completed within the next couple of days, sources said.
The biggest issue of the three listed above appears to be the last one. NFL team owners are projecting a significant amount of lost revenue this season as a result of having to play games in empty or partially filled stadiums. Estimates of those losses vary, but most expectations peg the amount to be between $3 billion and $4 billion, which would represent about 20-25% of league revenue for the year. And, of course, those losses would be higher if games had to be canceled.
Since the salary cap is tied to league revenue, a loss in revenue probably would mean a reduction of next year's cap. Sources say the owners' initial proposal was to absorb the cap hit this year and next -- holding a percentage of the players' 2020 income in escrow and reducing next year's salary cap in accordance with the losses. This year's salary cap is $198.2 million per team. If revenue-loss projections are accurate and no other action is taken, next year's cap could drop into the range of $120 million to $130 million per team.
This would make things very difficult for a number of teams and probably would result in a large number of players being released or having their salaries reduced by teams trying to get under the drastically reduced cap. For that reason, the players' initial proposal was to smooth out the cap reductions over the life of the new collective bargaining agreement, which runs through the 2030 season. As a (very) rough example, as opposed to knocking $70 million off of next year's cap, it would divide $70 million by 10 and apply a $7 million reduction per year through the end of the CBA.
Sources said there was movement on this Thursday night and that the likely outcome is a compromise that smooths the hit out over five years, from 2021 to 2025. One source said the current discussions revolve around a salary-cap minimum in the affected years. (Example: If the projected losses would drop the 2021 cap to $130 million but the agreed-upon "floor" for 2021 was $160 million, the cap would be set at $160 million and the other $30 million would have to be made up in similar fashion in future years. If the revenue projections came in higher than expected, the caps in future years could be adjusted upward accordingly. There is optimism among owners and players that the contract extensions the league plans to do with its TV network partners in the next year or two will lead to significant cap growth.)
As for the other two issues -- the opt-out procedures/payments and the training camp acclimation period -- sources say they remain tied up with the long-term financial piece of the negotiations. It's possible one side could concede on one of those issues in exchange for a concession on the salary-cap discussions.
Earlier this week, owners proposed a training camp acclimation period that was closer to what the players have asked for. The players want to start camp with 21 days of just strength and conditioning workouts, followed by 10 days of practice without pads, followed by a 14-day contact acclimation period in which padded practices would be permitted.
As for opt-outs, players were told in a conference call earlier this week about a proposal that would pay $250,000 stipends to active-roster players (and $100,000 stipends for practice squad players) who opted out because they were in one of the defined high-risk COVID-19 groups (such as BMI over 28, or sleep apnea, for example).
As of Thursday night, sources said, the owners' latest proposal included opt-out provisions for high-risk players as well as for non-high-risk players, but with different and varied rules and compensation for the two groups.
But players want better protections and answers on what happens to their salaries if they begin the season but can't finish it. Those issues are still being negotiated along with the bigger-picture financial concerns.
Tuesday is the report date for all teams except for Houston and Kansas City (who report earlier because they're scheduled to play the Thursday night opener). Under the COVID-19 testing protocols announced earlier this week, players will be tested on their first day, quarantine at home for the next two days, be tested again on Day 4 and then be allowed into the facility for their training camp physicals on Day 5 only if both of their tests come back negative. Players will be tested every day for the first two weeks of camp, then every other day after that as long as their team's positive test rate is below 5%.
NFL Players Association team player representatives are scheduled to convene on a conference call Friday morning as the players work to finalize an agreement with team owners on the rules and finances of the 2020 NFL season, according to sources.
The sources said the two sides were still negotiating Thursday night on at least three key points:
Rules for the training camp acclimation period.
Procedures via which players could opt out of the season for coronavirus-related reasons and what would happen to the contracts of those who do.
How to handle the league's long-term finances and salary caps of future years in the wake of projected 2020 revenue loss as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sources on both sides of the talks said the hope was to get everything wrapped up by the time teams report to camp. With Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs players scheduled to report this weekend and begin COVID-19 testing, the window for accomplishing that is growing smaller, but Thursday night's round of talks ended with optimism that a deal could be completed within the next couple of days, sources said.
The biggest issue of the three listed above appears to be the last one. NFL team owners are projecting a significant amount of lost revenue this season as a result of having to play games in empty or partially filled stadiums. Estimates of those losses vary, but most expectations peg the amount to be between $3 billion and $4 billion, which would represent about 20-25% of league revenue for the year. And, of course, those losses would be higher if games had to be canceled.
Since the salary cap is tied to league revenue, a loss in revenue probably would mean a reduction of next year's cap. Sources say the owners' initial proposal was to absorb the cap hit this year and next -- holding a percentage of the players' 2020 income in escrow and reducing next year's salary cap in accordance with the losses. This year's salary cap is $198.2 million per team. If revenue-loss projections are accurate and no other action is taken, next year's cap could drop into the range of $120 million to $130 million per team.
This would make things very difficult for a number of teams and probably would result in a large number of players being released or having their salaries reduced by teams trying to get under the drastically reduced cap. For that reason, the players' initial proposal was to smooth out the cap reductions over the life of the new collective bargaining agreement, which runs through the 2030 season. As a (very) rough example, as opposed to knocking $70 million off of next year's cap, it would divide $70 million by 10 and apply a $7 million reduction per year through the end of the CBA.
Sources said there was movement on this Thursday night and that the likely outcome is a compromise that smooths the hit out over five years, from 2021 to 2025. One source said the current discussions revolve around a salary-cap minimum in the affected years. (Example: If the projected losses would drop the 2021 cap to $130 million but the agreed-upon "floor" for 2021 was $160 million, the cap would be set at $160 million and the other $30 million would have to be made up in similar fashion in future years. If the revenue projections came in higher than expected, the caps in future years could be adjusted upward accordingly. There is optimism among owners and players that the contract extensions the league plans to do with its TV network partners in the next year or two will lead to significant cap growth.)
As for the other two issues -- the opt-out procedures/payments and the training camp acclimation period -- sources say they remain tied up with the long-term financial piece of the negotiations. It's possible one side could concede on one of those issues in exchange for a concession on the salary-cap discussions.
Earlier this week, owners proposed a training camp acclimation period that was closer to what the players have asked for. The players want to start camp with 21 days of just strength and conditioning workouts, followed by 10 days of practice without pads, followed by a 14-day contact acclimation period in which padded practices would be permitted.
As for opt-outs, players were told in a conference call earlier this week about a proposal that would pay $250,000 stipends to active-roster players (and $100,000 stipends for practice squad players) who opted out because they were in one of the defined high-risk COVID-19 groups (such as BMI over 28, or sleep apnea, for example).
As of Thursday night, sources said, the owners' latest proposal included opt-out provisions for high-risk players as well as for non-high-risk players, but with different and varied rules and compensation for the two groups.
But players want better protections and answers on what happens to their salaries if they begin the season but can't finish it. Those issues are still being negotiated along with the bigger-picture financial concerns.
Tuesday is the report date for all teams except for Houston and Kansas City (who report earlier because they're scheduled to play the Thursday night opener). Under the COVID-19 testing protocols announced earlier this week, players will be tested on their first day, quarantine at home for the next two days, be tested again on Day 4 and then be allowed into the facility for their training camp physicals on Day 5 only if both of their tests come back negative. Players will be tested every day for the first two weeks of camp, then every other day after that as long as their team's positive test rate is below 5%.
dag54
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dag54
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NFL training camp is on: What we know, and how it will be different
NFL training camp will open as scheduled, following agreements by NFL team owners and the NFL Players Association. Here's what we know right now.
www.espn.com
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My favorite teams
July 24, 2020
Dear Mr. Greatest Bear Fan
We hope this letter finds you well as the world continues to deal with the continuing pandemic.
Players have started reporting to Halas Hall to begin preparations for our first training camp in Lake Forest since 1983. Due to new NFL health and safety protocols and guidelines, training camp will take place without fans this year, as all NFL training camps in 2020 will be closed to the public. If preseason games are played, we will not be hosting fans for those games. Additionally, Family Fest and Varsity Bears have been cancelled for 2020.
While the energy and excitement from the fans that we have enjoyed during camp for many years will be missed, the health and safety of everyone remains our highest priority. We look forward to fans returning to camp in 2021. In 2020, we are dedicated to bringing you exclusive content through all of our media and social channels (ChicagoBears.com, Chicago Bears Official App, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok) directly from Halas Hall as we prepare for the season.
We understand that there are still many questions regarding the regular season fan experience at Soldier Field and how that will impact your season ticket package. We continue to work closely with city and state officials and public health experts regarding potential opportunities to allow fans to attend regular season games this fall, but the presence of and the exact number of fans that will be allowed into Soldier Field has not yet been determined. In the event fans are permitted to attend regular season games, there will be a need to reduce the seating capacity to build a plan that allows for social distancing. We are disappointed to share that this will result in season ticket packages not being available for the 2020 season.
All Season Ticket Holders will either receive a refund or 2020 payments can be credited to the 2021 season. There is nothing you need to do to reserve your same seat locations for next year. Season ticket renewal information will automatically be sent to you next February for the 2021 season. If you have already spoken to a Ticket Office representative regarding a refund request, you do not need to do anything more. Otherwise, please sign in HERE to indicate your refund intentions. Refunds will be processed in the coming weeks using the same method in which the original payment was made. Accounts that remain with a credit balance will have the funds applied towards their 2021 season ticket renewal. All ticket transfers, donations, and secondary sales that have taken place for this season have been cancelled.
If fans are allowed to attend regular season games at Soldier Field this year, the opportunity to purchase individual game tickets during the 2020 regular season will be made available exclusively to STHs, with PSL holders being given first priority. There will be no multi-game packages for 2020. All ticket sales would be on a single game basis. More details regarding single game ticket opportunities and the gameday experience, including parking, tailgating, stadium entry, food and beverage, retail, and safety procedures will be communicated as we get closer to our first home game.
We encourage you to call the Ticket Office at 847-615-BEAR (2327) with any questions regarding your account. Thank you for the patience you have shown and the communication you have shared over the past few months.
Best wishes and Bear Down!
Dear Mr. Greatest Bear Fan
We hope this letter finds you well as the world continues to deal with the continuing pandemic.
Players have started reporting to Halas Hall to begin preparations for our first training camp in Lake Forest since 1983. Due to new NFL health and safety protocols and guidelines, training camp will take place without fans this year, as all NFL training camps in 2020 will be closed to the public. If preseason games are played, we will not be hosting fans for those games. Additionally, Family Fest and Varsity Bears have been cancelled for 2020.
While the energy and excitement from the fans that we have enjoyed during camp for many years will be missed, the health and safety of everyone remains our highest priority. We look forward to fans returning to camp in 2021. In 2020, we are dedicated to bringing you exclusive content through all of our media and social channels (ChicagoBears.com, Chicago Bears Official App, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok) directly from Halas Hall as we prepare for the season.
We understand that there are still many questions regarding the regular season fan experience at Soldier Field and how that will impact your season ticket package. We continue to work closely with city and state officials and public health experts regarding potential opportunities to allow fans to attend regular season games this fall, but the presence of and the exact number of fans that will be allowed into Soldier Field has not yet been determined. In the event fans are permitted to attend regular season games, there will be a need to reduce the seating capacity to build a plan that allows for social distancing. We are disappointed to share that this will result in season ticket packages not being available for the 2020 season.
All Season Ticket Holders will either receive a refund or 2020 payments can be credited to the 2021 season. There is nothing you need to do to reserve your same seat locations for next year. Season ticket renewal information will automatically be sent to you next February for the 2021 season. If you have already spoken to a Ticket Office representative regarding a refund request, you do not need to do anything more. Otherwise, please sign in HERE to indicate your refund intentions. Refunds will be processed in the coming weeks using the same method in which the original payment was made. Accounts that remain with a credit balance will have the funds applied towards their 2021 season ticket renewal. All ticket transfers, donations, and secondary sales that have taken place for this season have been cancelled.
If fans are allowed to attend regular season games at Soldier Field this year, the opportunity to purchase individual game tickets during the 2020 regular season will be made available exclusively to STHs, with PSL holders being given first priority. There will be no multi-game packages for 2020. All ticket sales would be on a single game basis. More details regarding single game ticket opportunities and the gameday experience, including parking, tailgating, stadium entry, food and beverage, retail, and safety procedures will be communicated as we get closer to our first home game.
We encourage you to call the Ticket Office at 847-615-BEAR (2327) with any questions regarding your account. Thank you for the patience you have shown and the communication you have shared over the past few months.
Best wishes and Bear Down!
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NFL, players agree on 2020 season plans, weathering COVID-19 financial hit
As always in the NFL, deadlines spur deals.
With full squad training camps set to open Tuesday, team owners and players found the middle ground to get the 2020 season locked in.
The executive committee of the NFL Players Association endorsed the latest proposal that has been hammered out between franchise owners and players, the union said in a statement Friday afternoon. The union’s 32 player representatives approved the proposal by a 29-3 vote later Friday, locking in solutions to a multitude of issues, including how the two sides will split the overall revenue losses from the 2020 season and what players would be paid if the schedule was halted or trimmed due to coronavirus pandemic conditions.
“We have worked collaboratively to develop a comprehensive set of protocols designed to minimize risk for fans, players and club and league personnel,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “These plans have been guided by the medical directors of the NFL and the NFLPA and have been reviewed and endorsed by independent medical and public health experts, including the CDC, and many state and local public health officials. The season will undoubtedly present new and additional challenges, but we are committed to playing a safe and complete 2020 season, culminating with the Super Bowl.”
The deal is essentially a one-year collective bargaining agreement between the two sides, augmenting language and financial splits to weather COVID-19’s unprecedented impact.
The union put out a statement earlier Friday urging its membership stamp the new pact: “The NFLPA Executive Committee voted unanimously to recommend the proposed changes to the CBA.”
A source told Yahoo Sports the most vital point in the deal that ultimately brought the two sides together was the team owners and players agreeing that the 2020 salary cap of $198.2 million would remain in place, and that 2020 revenue losses could be spread between the 2021-2024 seasons. The source said a key part of the agreement was assuring the 2021 salary cap could draw back no lower than $175 million, with any other cumulative losses from 2020 being spread evenly from 2022-2024.
The four-year spread could be cushioned further by new television deals that will help raise revenues next season, and the losses being limited to 2024 all but ensures a sizable cap jump in 2025 as shortfalls come off the books.
All of that is significant, given that if the two sides were unable to spread losses out, the full weight of the revenue hit would have accumulated into 2021, with the union projecting as much as a $70 million per team cap reduction that would have devastated many rosters across the league. Two other key details that were also worked out, per a source with knowledge of the negotiations:
If the league suffers a shortened season, players will be paid for only the portion of the season that was played. However, there will be a provision that dedicates future revenue to banking and paying any lost wages that were fully guaranteed. But the payments will come at a later date and still out of the league’s total revenues. Essentially, franchise owners have agreed to pay all of the guaranteed money due in 2020, with the players’ blessing that any guaranteed monies that aren’t paid out this year will be awarded later. This will help mitigate the 2020 revenue hit for team owners while satisfying the current collective bargaining language that states players get all of their guaranteed salaries for 2020 once the regular season begins.
The practice schedules will be augmented to include a balance of testing, strength and conditioning and non-padded practices, with fully padded practices not allowed until the 21st day of camp. This satisfies the three-week acclimation period that players insisted upon before fully padded practices. There will also be no more than 14 days of padded practice between the 21st day of training camp and the start of the regular season.
Players will be given until Aug. 3 to opt out of this season due to COVID-19 concerns. For those who opt out, the decision will be considered final and they will not be allowed to return during the 2020 campaign. However, the players will still receive some compensation. Those who present preexisting conditions will receive $350,000 and have 2020 still count toward their accrued season totals in the pension plan. Those who opt out for reasons other than a preexisting medical condition will be in line to receive $150,000, but will not get an accrued season toward the pension plan. There is an additional provision allowing players to opt out during the season in the event of a COVID-related illness within their immediate family or someone in their care.
Following the totality of cutdowns to a 53-man roster, if the NFL season is still canceled prior to the regular-season kickoff, players could be compensated with a $300,000 “final roster” stipend for the season. If the season is canceled prior to the final cutdown, players rostered on an NFL team the prior season could receive a $250,000 stipend.
As always in the NFL, deadlines spur deals.
With full squad training camps set to open Tuesday, team owners and players found the middle ground to get the 2020 season locked in.
The executive committee of the NFL Players Association endorsed the latest proposal that has been hammered out between franchise owners and players, the union said in a statement Friday afternoon. The union’s 32 player representatives approved the proposal by a 29-3 vote later Friday, locking in solutions to a multitude of issues, including how the two sides will split the overall revenue losses from the 2020 season and what players would be paid if the schedule was halted or trimmed due to coronavirus pandemic conditions.
“We have worked collaboratively to develop a comprehensive set of protocols designed to minimize risk for fans, players and club and league personnel,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “These plans have been guided by the medical directors of the NFL and the NFLPA and have been reviewed and endorsed by independent medical and public health experts, including the CDC, and many state and local public health officials. The season will undoubtedly present new and additional challenges, but we are committed to playing a safe and complete 2020 season, culminating with the Super Bowl.”
The deal is essentially a one-year collective bargaining agreement between the two sides, augmenting language and financial splits to weather COVID-19’s unprecedented impact.
The union put out a statement earlier Friday urging its membership stamp the new pact: “The NFLPA Executive Committee voted unanimously to recommend the proposed changes to the CBA.”
A source told Yahoo Sports the most vital point in the deal that ultimately brought the two sides together was the team owners and players agreeing that the 2020 salary cap of $198.2 million would remain in place, and that 2020 revenue losses could be spread between the 2021-2024 seasons. The source said a key part of the agreement was assuring the 2021 salary cap could draw back no lower than $175 million, with any other cumulative losses from 2020 being spread evenly from 2022-2024.
The four-year spread could be cushioned further by new television deals that will help raise revenues next season, and the losses being limited to 2024 all but ensures a sizable cap jump in 2025 as shortfalls come off the books.
All of that is significant, given that if the two sides were unable to spread losses out, the full weight of the revenue hit would have accumulated into 2021, with the union projecting as much as a $70 million per team cap reduction that would have devastated many rosters across the league. Two other key details that were also worked out, per a source with knowledge of the negotiations:
If the league suffers a shortened season, players will be paid for only the portion of the season that was played. However, there will be a provision that dedicates future revenue to banking and paying any lost wages that were fully guaranteed. But the payments will come at a later date and still out of the league’s total revenues. Essentially, franchise owners have agreed to pay all of the guaranteed money due in 2020, with the players’ blessing that any guaranteed monies that aren’t paid out this year will be awarded later. This will help mitigate the 2020 revenue hit for team owners while satisfying the current collective bargaining language that states players get all of their guaranteed salaries for 2020 once the regular season begins.
The practice schedules will be augmented to include a balance of testing, strength and conditioning and non-padded practices, with fully padded practices not allowed until the 21st day of camp. This satisfies the three-week acclimation period that players insisted upon before fully padded practices. There will also be no more than 14 days of padded practice between the 21st day of training camp and the start of the regular season.
Players will be given until Aug. 3 to opt out of this season due to COVID-19 concerns. For those who opt out, the decision will be considered final and they will not be allowed to return during the 2020 campaign. However, the players will still receive some compensation. Those who present preexisting conditions will receive $350,000 and have 2020 still count toward their accrued season totals in the pension plan. Those who opt out for reasons other than a preexisting medical condition will be in line to receive $150,000, but will not get an accrued season toward the pension plan. There is an additional provision allowing players to opt out during the season in the event of a COVID-related illness within their immediate family or someone in their care.
Following the totality of cutdowns to a 53-man roster, if the NFL season is still canceled prior to the regular-season kickoff, players could be compensated with a $300,000 “final roster” stipend for the season. If the season is canceled prior to the final cutdown, players rostered on an NFL team the prior season could receive a $250,000 stipend.
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9 teams had 12 positive rookies.
Well, that doesn't seem very promising.
Well, that doesn't seem very promising.
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My favorite teams
With the way baseball games were cancelled today due to the virus (huge outbreak with the Marlins), it is going to be impossible for football to be played in anything other than a bubble, if you expect teams to be able to field a competitive team. Rosters would need to be expanded to 70-80 players to have any sort of chance to play games from week to week. GMs will be working their phones heavily from week to week looking for players out on the street to fill roster spots.
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Football has the benefit of only playing once per week to account for testing lags. But the size of the rosters and the physical nature of the game are going to make it incredibly difficult to finish the season.
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