Handle Your Business this week will take on the NFL Players Association ratifying the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the disagreement in the union surrounding this new deal. Amid the vote, the NFLPA elected a new President who urged unity after a tight election.
CBA Vote
Now that’s the only big news from this week. Several teams made big moves to get ready for the potential start of the new league year and free agency. One of the biggest deals is the one the Tennessee Titans gave to Ryan Tannehill. There’s also Anthony Costanzo re-signing with the Indianapolis Colts for two more years, Brandon Scherff getting the franchise tag from the Washington Redskins and the Baltimore Ravens getting Calais Campbell from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a song.
Why are these big deals happening with more to come, the salary cap is going way up as a result of the new CBA. The free agency free for all, and the NFL Draft may have to wait. Tony Pauline discussed that possibility and much more in an emergency podcast Sunday that can be found here, along with other free agency, draft news, and rumors.
In that podcast and last Thursday’s podcast, Pauline talked about how players that were voting no on the deal would be cutting off their nose to spite their face. I push back on that a little and point out some of the things that Eric Reid’s lawyers discussed in their analysis of the CBA.
So the CBA was approved but only barely, 51.5 percent yes to 48.5 percent no. Not only was there election while the vote was going, one of the members of the NFLPA’s executive committee, Russell Okung, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith as well as other members of staff at the NFLPA. And with some of the significant provisions (17th game, media kicker tied to it) not going into effect until 2021 or later, could this charge put a monkey wrench in the process or even lead to the end of Smith’s time with the NFLPA?