OWNERS ACCEPT NEW CBA, NOW AWAIT PLAYERS

The NFL has put the labor ball in the players’ hands.

In a somewhat surprisingly strong decision, the 32 team owners voted Thursday to “accept the negotiated terms on the principles of a new collective bargaining agreement.”

Details of that agreement were not forthcoming from any of the owners or Commissioner Roger Goodell. They quickly scurried from a Manhattan hotel without nothing more than “sorry, can’t help you,” or “I can’t comment” when asked about the proposed CBA.

Now the onus is on the players, who have a conference call today involving its executive committee and player representatives.

Such quick action by the owners indicates their eagerness to replace the 10year labor agreement that concludes in March 2021. Several elements of a new CBA could be implemented for the upcoming season should the players vote in favor of it.

That, of course, is no given. Should the players vote against accepting this proposal or seek further negotiations, the NFL has said the current agreement would remain in place for 2020. A league statement put a deadline on acceptance by the union, saying “since the clubs and players need to have a system in place and know the rules that they will operate under by next week.”

The league’s business year begins March 18.

Among the items in that proposal:

• A 17-game schedule, which always has been a stumbling block in talks with the NFL Players Association. More roster spots per team would be a must for the players. A 17th game would preferably be played at neutral sites, which one of the people familiar with the talks said could include non-nfl U.S. venues as well as Europe, Mexico and Brazil.

• A reduction of the preseason, initially from four games to three.

• A higher share of revenues for the players; the current number is 47 percent. The cut the players would receive is dependent on the length of the regular season, but would remain below 50 percent regardless.

• An expansion of the playoffs, something the NFL has been seeking for years.

Notable

Thanks to a widely expected move from defensive end Everson Griffen, the Vikings acquired some relief for their tenuous cap situation heading into the new league year next month. Their time with the fourth-leading pass rusher in team history, though, could be at its end. Griffen has exercised the option to void the final three years of his deal, making him a free agent for the first time in his career.

• Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry changed his mind and decided to undergo hip surgery after all. He revealed the news in a video on Instagram.

• Karl Dorrell (Helix High) has been promoted to assistant head coach by the Miami Dolphins. Dorrell, who is also the wide receivers coach, is entering the second season of his second stint with the team.

• Former Oklahoma and Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts, who trained in Norcross, Ga., for the NFL combine, plans to work out only as a quarterback and not as a running back or wide receiver.

• The Redskins announced the release of tight end Jordan Reed, ending his injury-plagued seven-year stint with the team that drafted him with a third-round pick in 2013. The Redskins will save $8.5 million against the salary cap following the move.