After months of speculation, NFL players voted by a close margin to ratify a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The NFL Players Association revealed that the agreement passed by a vote of 1,019 to 959, a difference of just 60 votes. Also, there were 500 players that did not vote on the CBA which will be in place for the next ten years.

“We are pleased that the players have voted to ratify the proposed new CBA, which will provide substantial benefits to all current and retired players, increase jobs, ensure continued progress on player safety, and give our fans more and better football,” said Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We appreciate the tireless efforts of the members of the Management Council Executive Committee and the NFLPA leadership, both of whom devoted nearly a year to detailed, good faith negotiations to reach this comprehensive, transformative agreement.”

The new CBA comes with some major modifications that will impact the 2020 season and beyond. Some of the biggest changes include:

  • A 17-game season: An extra week will be added to the regular season 16-game season beginning in 2021.
  • A shortened preseason: Each team will play three preseason games instead of four beginning in 2021.
  • Expanded playoff format: The playoff field will expand from six games per conference to seven, with only the top seed in each conference earning a bye-week.
  •  A new revenue split: Players are guaranteed to receive 48% of the league’s overall revenue beginning in 2021.
  •  New drug policy: Players are no longer suspended for positive marijuana tests.

Based on the narrow margin of votes, the reaction to the new CBA was mixed from both current and former players.

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