NFL Players Narrowly Approve 17-Game Season to Start as Early as 2021
The NFL season is getting a little longer.
On Sunday, players voted to approve a new collective bargaining agreement proposed by NFL owners that adds a 17th game to the regular season and expands the playoffs to include two more teams. To allow for the additional regular-season game, the NFL’s preseason will be shortened by a week.
According to the NFLPA, 1,019 players voted to pass the ratification and 959 voted against it — a difference of just 60 votes.
“We understand and know that players have been split on this deal, including members of our EC,” a statement from the NFLPA reads. “Going forward, it is our duty to lead, however we may feel as individuals, to bring our men together and to continue to represent the interests of our entire membership.”
The agreement will be in place for the upcoming 2020 season and will extend through 2030, though the addition of the 17th game likely won’t go into effect until after next season.
“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,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
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Doug Pensinger/Getty M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland
“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,” Goodell added.
Some players had publically voiced their displeasure with the proposal in recent weeks, including JJ Watt of the Houston Texans.
“Hard no on that proposed CBA,” he tweeted last month.
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Additional changes brought by the new CBA include an increase in wages for players who earn the league’s minimum salary, as well as an increase in performance-based pay. Teams will also be able to add two additional spots, raising the roster to 55 players from 53.
There are also substantial changes to the league’s drug policy, such as a reduction in penalties for players who test positive for marijuana use.
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“The current proposal contains increases across almost every category of wages, hours, working conditions, and benefits for current and former players,” NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith wrote in a tweet on Sunday night. “Like any contested negotiation, such as a player contract, or even legislation, the proposal also reflects trades with the counterparty which have to be carefully weighed and assessed across the entirety of the deal.”
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