Labor deal barely passes amid strong opposition

Agreement includes 17-game season; 500 union members did not participate

By a close vote, with some 500 union members not participating, NFL players have approved a new labor agreement with the league. It features a 17-game regular season, higher salaries, increased roster sizes and larger pensions for current and former players.

The deal, which runs through the 2030 season, was accepted by the 32 team owners last month. The NFL Players Association’s membership spent the last week voting on the 439page document after its executive board narrowly rejected it by a 6-5 vote, and the player representatives voted 17-14 in favor, with one abstention.

A few hours after the deal was announced on Sunday, reports surfaced that the NFL’s new league year — and with it, free agency — will begin this week as scheduled.

There was some strong player opposition to this collective bargaining agreement, though. Many stars, including Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, J.J. Watt and Todd Gurley, spoke out against it. The total vote, among the nearly 2,500 union members who participated, was 1,019-959. Ratification required a simple majority — results were announced Sunday — and there could be lasting resentment among union members, given how close the vote was.

“Can’t believe we agreed to that lol,” Colts tight end Eric Ebron tweeted. “We can only play this game for so long and y’all didn’t want everything we could get out of it? ... 2030 y’all do better.”

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey expressed displeasure about the turnout for voting.

“Around 500 players didn’t even vote on the new CBA ...,” he tweeted. “It’s good and bad to this deal. I could see why anyone would vote either way. I just think it’s amazing guys don’t even care.”

Almost immediately, players were urging unity, particularly in the face of the criticism from within their ranks about approving the deal.

“The democratic process has played itself out,” tweeted Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, one of the most influential voices in

the union. “We must be committed to unifying our current and former members. While I don’t agree with the decision because of its negative impacts on some current and former players, I do respect our process and will push forward accordingly.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, not surprisingly, praised the players’ acceptance of the new CBA.

“We are pleased that the players have voted to ratify the proposed new CBA, which will provide substantial benefits to all current and retired players, increase jobs, ensure continued progress on player safety, and give our fans more and better football,” Goodell

said in a statement. “We appreciate the tireless efforts of the members of the Management Council Executive Committee and the NFLPA leadership, both of whom devoted nearly a year to detailed, good faith negotiations to reach this comprehensive, transformative agreement.”

The league reportedly sent a memo to all 32 teams on Sunday night confirming the schedule will not be changed due to the coronavirus pandemic, a change of heart among some people around the NFL, many of whom initially expected the league year to be delayed.

With the approval of the new collective bargaining agreement on Saturday night, players would have had to sign off on any changes to the scheduled start of the league year. Delaying the start would have put free agency on

hold and perhaps pushed back the draft, which is currently scheduled for April 23-25 in Las Vegas.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL said the NFLPA would not provide consent to delay the league year.

As such, all will go ahead as scheduled. The first notable deadline is today at 8:59 a.m. PT, the last chance for teams to use either their franchise or transition tag on pending free agents. Free agency officially begins at 1 p.m. PT on Wednesday, at which time deals can become official. Any trades previously agreed to can also become official on Wednesday.

A 17-game schedule won’t happen before the 2021 season. The mechanics for an uneven number of games — neutral sites or which teams get nine home games — will be worked out in the interim.

Earlier, NFLPA Executive Director

DeMaurice Smith said, “The current proposal contains increases across almost every category of wages, hours, working conditions and benefits for former and current players . ... Please be confident that I hear — loudly and clearly — those of you who have passionately expressed their perspective that these gains are not enough when weighed against, for example, adding another game. That position reflects how some members have chosen to weigh what aspect of the deal is important to them.”

The gains the players make in the new agreement in sharing “a bigger portion of the growing pie,” according to outgoing NFLPA President Eric Winston, swayed the vote.

Among those gains:

• An increase from the 47% of league revenues given to the players, with that percentage dependent

on the length of the season.

• A reduction of the preseason, initially from four games to three. More time off during training camps.

• Upgraded pensions, with the addition of groups of previous players not included in past agreements.

• Two more roster spots per team, from 53 to 55; that’s 64 more jobs.

• Larger practice squads with fewer limitations on movement of those players.

Adding two playoff teams was not part of the bargaining process; the owners can do so without union approval. That is expected to occur this season, with only the top team in each conference getting a wild-card bye.