The NFL franchises voted 31-0 to ratify a proposed new collective bargaining agreement tonight, with the Raiders being the lone holdout. Â The fate of the agreement now lies with the players, who may still vote tonight, but who also appear to still be in haggling mode. Â While we wait, we can consider the points that the owners approved. Â In particular, the new deal would:
- Â Last through the 2020 season
- Take effect next Wednesday
- Give players 48 percent of revenue
- Establish a salary cap of $120 million and a floor of $106.8 million
- Grant unrestricted free agency to players after four years in the league
- Establish four-year rookie contracts
- Lower and cap rookie spending
- Reduce the length and severity of training camps
- Reduce the number of OTAs from 14 to 9
In addition, the players would need to re-certify their union in order for the new CBA to take effect. Â Also, commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the upcoming Hall of Fame game has been cancelled.
Significantly for the Colts, the new agreement does not include a concession to the players that would prevent a team from using the franchise tag on a player more than once.  For us, that means Peyton Manning won’t be a free agent when/if the CBA comes into play.  While that removes some of Manning’s leverage, it also sets him up for a bigger cap number than he’d probably have with a long-term contract in play.
Stay tuned!