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By a vote of 1,019 to 959, the players voted to ratify the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement through the 2030 season. The votes were tallied Sunday morning, and now we will see a whirlwind of news today. It is also believed that the coronavirus situation is what allowed the ratification to happen, because it pushed a lot of “no” votes to the “yes” side, given the economic uncertainty of the country right now.
Start of the New League Year?
According to multiple reports, the league and the NFLPA are now discussing whether the new league year, including the start of free agency, will start on Wednesday as scheduled. A decision is expected to be made swiftly.
The NFL and NFLPA are currently in discussions about issues related to the 2020 league year, including the salary cap and whether the league year will start Wednesday as planned. More news to come as the day progresses.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) March 15, 2020
2020 NFL Salary Cap
The 2020 salary cap was officially announced today, and it will be $198.2 million, which is lower than the projected $200 million.
The NFL Management Council just informed team officials the salary cap will be $198.2 million per club in 2020, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 15, 2020
Biggest Changes of the New CBA
- The number of playoff teams will increase from 12 to 14, as early as this season.
- The regular season schedule can be increased from 16 to 17 games, as early as the 2021 season. Additionally, there would only be 3 preseason games, with that “fourth preseason game” being converted to a bye week before the regular season.
- Rosters will increase from 53 to 55 players, and the gameday active roster will increase from 46 to 48 players.
- Players making the minimum salary will get a $100,000 annual bump in salary.
- There will be plenty of more nuances to work through, once we see the full CBA. In the coming days, we will thoroughly review all of the major changes.