New CBA Ballots Officially Sent Out to NFL Players Thursday Morning
By Scott Rogust
The official start of the new league year in the NFL is less than two weeks away, but there is plenty of uncertainty in regards to discussions of a new collective bargaining agreement. Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL owners sent their proposal to NFL Players Association representatives for a preliminary vote, which was approved.
Now, it's onto the final step, with the NFLPA sending out the CBA proposal to all players for a vote on Thursday morning. Players will have until 11:59 p.m. ET next Thursday, March 12, to submit their votes to the labor union.
Ballots will go out to players at 9 a.m. ET today to vote on ratification of the proposed CBA and voting will be open until 11:59 p.m. ET next Thursday, March 12, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 5, 2020
The timing of the deadline is certainly interesting considering that the franchise and transition tag deadline remains at 4 p.m. ET on that same day. Further, the so-called "legal tampering window" -- the two-day period for unrestricted free agents to begin contract negotiations before free agency officially starts-- opens at noon on March 16.
This will all go on with the CBA waiting to be ratified, and it appears there's something close to an even split among players in terms of whether to accept to proposal.
Key dates ahead on the NFL calendar:
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 5, 2020
▫️March 12th, 4 PM EST: Deadline to use the franchise or transition tag
▫️March 12th, 11:59 PM EST: Deadline for players to vote on proposed CBA
▫️March 16th, Noon EST: Legal tampering window opens
▫️March 18th, 4 PM EST: Free agency begins
The main complaints from those who oppose the CBA are the addition of an extra regular season game for which additional pay is capped at $250,000, and the 51.5%-48.5% league revenue split between the owners and the players.
It could very well be that this proposal, while imperfect, stil gets the stamp of approval. But as it stands, the vote ought to be expected to go right down to the wire.