NFL players think the proposed CBA by owners is awful: 'Rip it up!'

Jordan Heck

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NFL players think the proposed CBA by owners is awful: 'Rip it up!' image

The NFL released a statement Thursday announcing owners have accepted terms for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

The statement reads as follows:

Following more than ten months of intensive and thorough negotiations, the NFL Players and clubs have jointly developed a comprehensive set of new and revised terms that will transform the future of the game, provide for players – past, present, and future – both on and off the field, and ensure that the NFL's second century is even better and more exciting for the fans.  

The membership voted today to accept the negotiated terms on the principal elements of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Players Association would also need to vote to approve the same terms for there to be a new agreement.

Since the clubs and players need to have a system in place and know the rules that they will operate under by next week, the membership also approved moving forward under the final year of the 2011 CBA if the players decide not to approve the negotiated terms. Out of respect for the process and our partners at the NFLPA, we will have no further comment at this time.

As the last paragraph states, players must discuss whether to accept these terms. The NFL Players Association will discuss Friday whether the union will approve these terms, which have been negotiated over the past 10 months.

Spoiler alert: They will not accept.

The NFLPA released a CBA Fact Sheet, which laid out key details in the proposed CBA. The first item listed states a 47 percent share of annual revenue, with an additional $100 million in new player costs above the current CBA. In 2021, that split would increase to 48 percent share of revenue with the ability to increase to 48.5 percent through a media kicker which applies in any season the league plays 17 games.

Many players took issue with this figure on social media (which you can see below), saying they want an even 50-50 split.

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Another major issue among players is the contract attached to the proposed 17-game schedule. Here's the direct sentence from the Fact Sheet: "Bonus payment of 1/17 of his paragraph 5 salary up to $250K to any player whose contract runs through a season when 17 games is played."

That's a fancy way of saying a player can only make up to $250,000 in the 17th game. So if a player typically makes more than that in a game check, he will end up being capped on his salary, meaning he will make significantly less despite performing the same activity.

There are also several other points in the CBA with which players likely will take issue, but the two mentioned above seem to be the ones that have caused the most uproar on social media. Below are some of the thoughts from current players on the proposed deal.

J.J. Watt

Richard Sherman

Allen Robinson

Leonard Fournette

Michael Thomas

David Bakhtiari

George Iloka

Rich Ohrnberger

Demario Davis

Quandre Diggs

Trai Turner

Jordan Heck

Jordan Heck Photo

Jordan Heck is a Social Media Producer at Sporting News. Before working here, he was a Digital Content Producer at The Indianapolis Star. He graduated with a degree from Indiana University.