Manning and Other Players Now Hold Keys to NFL Season

The NFL franchises voted 31-0 to ratify a proposed new collective bargaining agreement tonight, with the Raiders being the lone holdout.  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.  While we wait, we can consider the points that the owners approved.  In particular, the new deal would:

•  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.  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!