The next CBA likely to bring two extra games to NFL season

The Roger Goodell legacy has yet to be written and the next CBA is going to change the NFL in a way that we have never seen before.

Both the NFL and the NFLPA have begun initial preliminary talks on the next collective bargaining agreement that will expire after the 2021 season. Goodell’s contract extension that was given in 2017 for five years will expire in 2022 and is expected to be his last as the leagues boss.

This is not uncharted waters. When former commissioner Paul Tagliabue walked away, he had just wrapped negotiations on a new CBA. That CBA led to an eventual work stoppage in 2011 when the current CBA was agreed upon.

While negotiations or rather discussions have begun, the NFLPA sent a letter to each of the players telling them to start putting money away in the case of a work stoppage but this time around the players and the league may come together quicker on key points that both have lobbied for in the past.

League schedule

The NFL has long wanted to extend the regular season by as many as two games. This has been met with a hard “no” from the NFLPA who cite concerns over injury and compensation to the players. The NFLPA has not come out and said they will 100% consider it but the league could be ready to make concessions that could make that happen.

According to Roger Goodell who spoke at a charity event in Buffalo today, the NFL may be considering dropping two of the pre-season games in favor of making them regular season games.

One point on this that has stood out over the last several years is that the NFLPA might be more willing to accept a longer regular season if the NFL did away with equal pre-season games and additional players on the active and inactive roster.

Roster size

If the NFL is considering the reduction of pre-season contests then it is because they believe they can land the extra two games at the end of the season or start the season two weeks earlier which is more likely. That also means that there will likely be additions made to the rosters. Injuries have been a big problem with the NFL and adding more meaningful games will mean that teams need to be ready for late season injuries. In other words, the NFLPA wants more players as part of that portion of a deal and the NFL will need them.

Marijuana

The debate over weed and PED’s, in general, have dominated the league for years and this time around “pot” could find itself front and center. Roger Goodell has already mentioned that the possibility of letting league physicians determine if THC should be used to treat some pain related injuries.

This will be an interesting situation for the league and the NFLPA considering that many NFL cities do not currently allow recreation or medicinal use of marijuana but that too is changing around the nation. THC is going to get its hearing this time around and we are likely to see a reduction or maybe even removal of the substance as it relates to failed tests.

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The NFL is also likely to discuss other substances that are tested for that really are not PED drugs or substances that are found in natural OTC medications. It has been a sticky subject with the NFLPA as it relates to Roger Goodell’s final say on disciplinary actions.

Money

This is where it is going to get interesting because at the heart and soul of the entire negotiations is money. The NFLPA has watched the NFL bring in more and more money from television contracts and the annual increase in cap dollars has not risen to match that monetary increase by the league.

The NFLPA wants more money available for the lower paid players, a higher cap number, better health care both short and long-term, and money for retired and previous players. And they want more money from other sources than just TV contracts. This is where things may change the most. The NFL loves the rookie wage scale but the NFLPA may not offer it again this time around if the league doesn’t concede on other issues.

With two years left to go before it gets dirty, both sides have a chance to curb any work stoppage if they can get to the table earlier rather than later.