A tentative agreement to make the 2011 salary cap $120 million, a source told ESPN.com NFL senior writer John Clayton. When a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, it will be seven to ten years in length, sources have told ESPN.
After meeting for nearly 15 hours Thursday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL Players Association chief DeMaurice Smith, players and owners were back at the negotiating table Friday as they attempted to end the sport's first work stoppage since 1987. Goodell has asked the NFLPA for a full day of talks, a source familiar with the meeting told ESPN's Schefter.
"I know our fans are frustrated and want (us) to get it done," Smith said as he entered the Times Square office building where the negotiations were being held. "We'll get everything to the players when the time is right."
Baltimore Ravens defensive back Domonique Foxworth emphasized that when the last of the participants left after 11:30 p.m. Thursday, saying "there's really no deal until our players approve it."
Since February, the players have been willing to accept a $141 million player cost number -- which includes both salaries and benefits paid to players -- per team, multiple sources told Clayton. By agreeing to the $120 million cap, the players allow $21 million per team to be in benefits. Now that a cap number has been formed, teams need to determine the minimum cash payroll number, or what teams will be required to spend.
The guaranteed spend forces every team to put up more than 90 percent of the salary cap in cash each season. A couple of weeks ago, the owners talked about having the guaranteed spend number at close to 100 percent of the salary cap, according to sources. That number and percentage could still be adjusted.
The 2009 cap was $123 million but was moved by $5 million to $128 million due to a one-time adjustment called a cash adjustment mechanism. The change is an aberrational adjustment, due to the fact that 2009 was the last capped season of the previous CBA.
Last season was an uncapped year.
Because a 2011 salary cap of $120 million could cause problems for teams such as Dallas, Pittsburgh and others that currently spend more than that, one of the provisions being discussed is a one-player cap exemption for each team, according to a source. That exemption would be a $3 million credit in 2011 that would count against benefits paid out, a source said. That exemption, which could drop to $1.5 million next year, could save the jobs of players.
According to sources, the terms agreed to on the rookie wage system are, in part, as follows:
• Five-year contracts, with a team option for the fifth year.
• If the team option is exercised, in the fifth year the top 10 picks would receive a salary equal to the average of the top 10 player salaries at their respective positions. That money would be guaranteed if the option is exercised after the third year of the contract.
• If the team option is exercised, in the fifth year picks 11-32 would receive a salary equal to the average of the Nos. 3-25 salaries at their respective positions. That money would be guaranteed if the option is exercised after the third year of the contract.
so i guess the union is going to vote on wed-thursday.....if it passes teams will have a 72 hour window this weekend to resign there players...and after that there will be free agency and training camps next week!
NFL games are about to get longer and more replay-filled
Hey, here's something I hate. An increased number of booth reviews in the 2011 season is going to lead to longer games, says the NFL's former vice president of officiating.
A new rule goes into effect this year stating that every scoring play that happens in the course of an NFL game will be automatically reviewed by the replay official. Here's an explanation of that process from Mike Pereira at FOXSports.com:
"If an official rules a score (touchdown, field goal, safety or extra point) during a game, the replay official will automatically review the play. If there is any question as to whether the ruling is correct, they will buzz down to the referee and ask him to come to the monitor to review the play. If the replay official confirms the ruling is correct, they will buzz the referee indicating he is clear to let the scoring team attempt the extra point, or kick off if the scoring play was a field goal, safety or extra-point attempt. A coach will not be allowed to challenge the ruling of a score. The intent is to save the coach from having to challenge the ruling of a score and, thus, increase his chances of not running out of challenges or timeouts."
Overkill.
It's not necessarily that I'm anti-replay; if the right call can be made, then it should be. But in the quest to "get it right," it seems like the flow of the game is often completely discarded, and I'd argue that that's way more important to the NFL's viewing experience. And now we're building more stoppages into the game, right after its most exciting plays?
Unnecessary stoppages brutalize a game's watchability. It's like these "reality" shows, where they pound in unending pauses in an effort to manufacture artificial drama, but end up just being irritating as all hell. I don't know how anyone can stand that.
We should be looking at ways to shorten games, not make them longer. If a 1 p.m. game isn't going to end until 5, I want it to be because it went into overtime and gave us free football. It seems like we're getting to the point now that a game won't end on time (before the 4/4:15 games start) unless it happens to be contested by two teams that favor a ball-control offense.
And think about this, too: You know that super-annoying thing that networks do when, after a score, there's a commercial break, they come back for the kickoff, and then have another commercial break, and it seems like there's about a half hour between plays from scrimmage?
Throw a replay break into that, too. You'll see the same Coors Light commercial six times before anyone takes another snap.
I don't like it...Don't really hate it, but I don't like it. I think the writer made most of the points for me.
That's true, but most scores would take maybe 5-10 seconds to look at again....there's not much time lost in that case. By the time the teams are set up the ref will have already gotten the ok.
I just don't like change <_> Chances are the year will carry on and make no real difference, except now coaches don't have to worry about saving any challenges
Damn, Cowboys going to have to let some players go and make tough choices if that is going to be the cap. They would be over it by a couple of mill. Bye Bye Barber lol.
Comments
After meeting for nearly 15 hours Thursday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NFL Players Association chief DeMaurice Smith, players and owners were back at the negotiating table Friday as they attempted to end the sport's first work stoppage since 1987. Goodell has asked the NFLPA for a full day of talks, a source familiar with the meeting told ESPN's Schefter.
"I know our fans are frustrated and want (us) to get it done," Smith said as he entered the Times Square office building where the negotiations were being held. "We'll get everything to the players when the time is right."
Baltimore Ravens defensive back Domonique Foxworth emphasized that when the last of the participants left after 11:30 p.m. Thursday, saying "there's really no deal until our players approve it."
Since February, the players have been willing to accept a $141 million player cost number -- which includes both salaries and benefits paid to players -- per team, multiple sources told Clayton. By agreeing to the $120 million cap, the players allow $21 million per team to be in benefits. Now that a cap number has been formed, teams need to determine the minimum cash payroll number, or what teams will be required to spend.
The guaranteed spend forces every team to put up more than 90 percent of the salary cap in cash each season. A couple of weeks ago, the owners talked about having the guaranteed spend number at close to 100 percent of the salary cap, according to sources. That number and percentage could still be adjusted.
The 2009 cap was $123 million but was moved by $5 million to $128 million due to a one-time adjustment called a cash adjustment mechanism. The change is an aberrational adjustment, due to the fact that 2009 was the last capped season of the previous CBA.
Last season was an uncapped year.
Because a 2011 salary cap of $120 million could cause problems for teams such as Dallas, Pittsburgh and others that currently spend more than that, one of the provisions being discussed is a one-player cap exemption for each team, according to a source. That exemption would be a $3 million credit in 2011 that would count against benefits paid out, a source said. That exemption, which could drop to $1.5 million next year, could save the jobs of players.
According to sources, the terms agreed to on the rookie wage system are, in part, as follows:
• Five-year contracts, with a team option for the fifth year.
• If the team option is exercised, in the fifth year the top 10 picks would receive a salary equal to the average of the top 10 player salaries at their respective positions. That money would be guaranteed if the option is exercised after the third year of the contract.
• If the team option is exercised, in the fifth year picks 11-32 would receive a salary equal to the average of the Nos. 3-25 salaries at their respective positions. That money would be guaranteed if the option is exercised after the third year of the contract.
But it looks like by the end of the week we will finally be talking about free agency. I am excited.
Hey, here's something I hate. An increased number of booth reviews in the 2011 season is going to lead to longer games, says the NFL's former vice president of officiating.
A new rule goes into effect this year stating that every scoring play that happens in the course of an NFL game will be automatically reviewed by the replay official. Here's an explanation of that process from Mike Pereira at FOXSports.com:
"If an official rules a score (touchdown, field goal, safety or extra point) during a game, the replay official will automatically review the play. If there is any question as to whether the ruling is correct, they will buzz down to the referee and ask him to come to the monitor to review the play. If the replay official confirms the ruling is correct, they will buzz the referee indicating he is clear to let the scoring team attempt the extra point, or kick off if the scoring play was a field goal, safety or extra-point attempt. A coach will not be allowed to challenge the ruling of a score. The intent is to save the coach from having to challenge the ruling of a score and, thus, increase his chances of not running out of challenges or timeouts."
Overkill.
It's not necessarily that I'm anti-replay; if the right call can be made, then it should be. But in the quest to "get it right," it seems like the flow of the game is often completely discarded, and I'd argue that that's way more important to the NFL's viewing experience. And now we're building more stoppages into the game, right after its most exciting plays?
Unnecessary stoppages brutalize a game's watchability. It's like these "reality" shows, where they pound in unending pauses in an effort to manufacture artificial drama, but end up just being irritating as all hell. I don't know how anyone can stand that.
We should be looking at ways to shorten games, not make them longer. If a 1 p.m. game isn't going to end until 5, I want it to be because it went into overtime and gave us free football. It seems like we're getting to the point now that a game won't end on time (before the 4/4:15 games start) unless it happens to be contested by two teams that favor a ball-control offense.
And think about this, too: You know that super-annoying thing that networks do when, after a score, there's a commercial break, they come back for the kickoff, and then have another commercial break, and it seems like there's about a half hour between plays from scrimmage?
Throw a replay break into that, too. You'll see the same Coors Light commercial six times before anyone takes another snap.
I don't like it...Don't really hate it, but I don't like it. I think the writer made most of the points for me.
Chances are the year will carry on and make no real difference, except now coaches don't have to worry about saving any challenges