BIG DECISIONS LOOMING FOR NFL PLAYERS, TEAMS
Free agency, franchise tags and CBA vote all remain on the docket despite pandemic
Your kids can’t play organized hockey or soccer for the time being, and the powers-that-be at Augusta National even postponed the Masters.
But, hey, the NFL is still operating. And how.
Not with games; it’s the off-season. Rather, with huge player and club decisions. All over the next several days.
As the end of the 2019 league year approaches and the 2020 league year kicks off, a slew of player moves, both frantic and long thought out, are about to go down.
Until then, however, all players collectively have a gigantic role to play in whether the NFL can promise 11 years of labour peace to the TV networks, with whom it wants to soon negotiate the next wave of TV rights deals, expected to be worth many more billions of dollars.
Specifically, NFL players have one more day to vote on the proposed new collective bargaining agreement with owners.
All players who signed a contract with a team over the past 52 weeks are eligible to vote, whether or not they dressed for even one regular-season game. That’s about 2,100 eligible voters.
If a simply majority of them approves the proposed 439-page CBA, then players and ex-players alike would receive more financial compensation and more benefits, plus a wave of other owner concessions, while owners would get their big prize, which they insisted over the past 10 months of negotiations: an additional regular-season game, to raise each team’s total from 16 to 17.
Many outspoken veteran players have come out against the deal, arguing caustically that while players will indeed get more money and more benefits from it, both should have been greater.
BAN ON PRE-DRAFT VISITS
The NFL on Friday informed GMS, head coaches and player-personnel directors they can no longer bring in rookies-to-be for pre-draft visits, according to ESPN’S Dan Graziano.
Furthermore, the league is preventing all league personnel from attending any prospect’s university pro day.
Communicating with prospects, however, is permitted via telephone or video conference if reported to the league.
The edict went into effect at the close of business on Friday.
Each team had been able to invite up to 30 prospects for visits prior to the April 23-25 draft, still scheduled, as of Friday afternoon, for Las Vegas.
TAG-SLAPPING SEASON
Teams on Friday finally began tagging pending free agents, to keep them in the fold for at least one more season.
Each team has until Monday at 11:59 p.m. EDT to place a franchise tag (either exclusive or non-exclusive) or a transition tag on a single free-agent-to-be. Player and club then would have until July 15 to negotiate a longterm contract, otherwise the player must play out the 2020 season under the fully guaranteed salary predetermined for his position, specific to each of the three types of tags.
On Friday, several players were tagged.
The Los Angeles Chargers took arguably the top tight end off the coming free-agent market by placing presumably a non-exclusive franchise tag on Hunter Henry. Although the NFL won’t reveal the specific position-by-position tag salaries until Tuesday, it’s expected Henry will earn more than
US$11 million next season.
Henry’s tagging leaves Austin Hooper of the Atlanta Falcons as the sole elite tight end slated to become available in free agency.
Another big name came off free-agent boards Friday when Jacksonville franchise-tagged star defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Because Ngakoue has said he has no intentions of signing a long-term deal with the Jaguars, it would surprise no one if he’s tagged and traded. The acquiring team would have to operate under the same tag rules.
Also tagged on Friday were outside linebacker Matthew Judon by the Baltimore Ravens, and safety Justin Simmons by the Denver Broncos.
CAP CASUALTIES SEASON
There will be plenty of name players cut between now and Wednesday afternoon for being deemed no longer worth their salaries, as teams attempt to free up as much room as possible below the projected $200 million team cap.
To wit, on Friday the following veterans were cut with a year or more remaining on their most recent backloaded contracts: DT Linval Joseph (Minnesota), CB Xavier Rhodes (Minnesota), OT Cordy Glenn (Cincinnati), TE Delanie Walker (Tennessee), PK Ryan Succop (Tennessee), LB Thomas Davis (Los Angeles Chargers), NT Brandon Mebane (Chargers) and OT Rick Wagner (Detroit).
The Vikings’ moves reportedly cleared $18.5 million in 2020 cap space.
“Xavier and Linval were key parts of building this team, and establishing the Vikings defence the way we wanted,” Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer said in a statement.
“They’re pros and made everyone around them better. I wish them the best.”
The Titans’ cuts also were not unexpected. Walker, 35, played just eight games in 2018 and
2019, catching 25 passes for two touchdowns. Succop missed all of training camp last summer after knee surgery, and made just one of six field-goal attempts after his Week 9 return until going on IR after Week 15.
Glenn was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2012, and was traded to the Bengals before the 2018 season. He played in only six games in 2019.