The Start Of Free Agency To Be Delayed? (CBA Extension Talk)

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Rachel Nichols is hotter than Hades in July...   

Yes.  Yes, she is.

[phattymatty]

Snyder will look like a genius if that's how he set up some of the contracts.  We'll have to see.

wow, an idiot up until the very end.

[rjs246]

They have to hold on to that sliver of hope that maybe they won't end up looking like idiots. Of course the rest of us know they've been looking like idiots for a decade now. They're jsut too retarded to see it.

[rjs246]

Where are the cuts?! I want blood, dammit.

[Feva]

Where are the cuts?! I want blood, dammit.

Tell me about it.  I can't leave my farging computer...

[ice grillin you]

Questions and answers about the NFL labor talks

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ESPN

The sudden change in the climate of labor negotiations between the NFL and the Players Association, and the sudden flurry of player cuts, has left many fans with questions. Fortunately, ESPN.com has answers.
What is the primary issue?
The deadline to extend the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires at 12:01 a.m. Friday, March 3. This is merely the negotiating period to extend the CBA. The CBA itself does not expire until after the 2007 season.

Why is that deadline important?
Friday is the beginning of the new NFL fiscal year. Every team must be under the salary cap by 10 p.m. ET Thursday, a six-hour reprieve from the original 4 p.m. ET deadline for cap compliance.

Could the negotiating deadline be extended?
That was discussed but is now highly unlikely. A delay in starting the new fiscal year would have pushed back the start of free agency and, in the event an extension still couldn't be reached, made it easier for teams to come into compliance with the 2006 cap.

Without the extension, though, teams some teams will have to release some very significant players in order to clear cap room. The 2005 cap was $85.5 million, and teams were anticipating a 2006 cap of around $102 million with an extension to the CBA. However, the actual 2006 cap is going to be $94.5 million, which has some teams scrambling to comply.

What happens if a team doesn't comply with the salary cap?
No team has ever gone over the salary cap, so this is a bit of an unknown. Could Commissioner Paul Tagliabue penalize a team with draft picks? Or fines? With some teams in dire cap shape, we could find out sooner rather than later. The Washington taterskins are one team to watch in this regard, since some other clubs which have studied the taterskins' cap closely have suggested Washington cannot mathematically get into compliance.

Will any of this affect 2006 free agency?
Aside from the player pool growing rapidly as teams cut players to comply with the cap, the biggest change is that teams only will be able to prorate signing bonuses over four years, rather than seven, meaning players seeking large bonuses could be disappointed. And since base salaries can increase by a maximum of only 30 percent per year, the huge contracts we've seen recently (Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, for example) are likely a thing of the past. In short, it will be difficult, and in some cases impossible, to meet players' financial expectations.

Will any of this affect the 2006 season?
Only to the extent that some teams could look remarkably different heading into training camp than they did at the end of the 2005 season. But the current CBA actually has two more years to run (2006 and 2007), so if there is going to be a work stoppage at all, it's not likely to happen until 2008.

What happens if there is no extension to the current CBA?
Without an extension, the final season of the current CBA (2007) will be an uncapped season, meaning teams would have no limit on the amount of money they could spend on free agents.

Given the potential absence of a salary cap in 2007, some 2006 free agents might be unwilling to sign long-term contracts, figuring they could earn even more in the uncapped 2007. And NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw has said once the salary cap goes away, the players aren't going to accept its return. Also, while unlikely, the potential exists that the owners could lock the players out in 2008. That is one reason the NFLPA will consider decertifying.

How will free agency be different in 2007?
Currently, players hit restricted free agency after three years and unrestricted free agency after four years. Without an extension to the CBA, players won't be eligible for unrestricted free agency until after their sixth year. Players whose contracts end after third, fourth and fifth seasons will be considered restricted free agents and subject to qualifying offers from their current teams.

Does an uncapped season also mean there's no salary minimum?
Yes. Currently, there is a salary minimum, as well as a salary cap. Every team must allocate a certain minimum amount to player salaries. However, when the salary cap goes away, so does the salary floor. Teams could choose not to spend a dime if they didn't want to.

What happens to player benefits (401k plans, health coverage, etc.)?
In an uncapped 2007, owners no longer will be responsible for their annual payments of about $13 million apiece to 401k plans, health coverage, life insurance and other programs under the umbrella of benefits. The NFL matches each player's 401k investments 2-for-1.

How does all of this affect the 2006 NFL draft?
Signing draft choices will be more difficult this year, because teams can prorate signing bonuses over only four seasons. Already, agents figure the most a top draft choice can make under that scenario is $15 million, a major reduction from recent years. That likely will lead to long holdouts by draft choices.

What are the long-term ramifications for the league?
In 2008, the NFL either will be on strike or the owners will lock out the players. The union likely will decertify, and antitrust rules will apply. Also, the NFL draft will go away in 2008 as part of a clause inserted in the current CBA. Players coming out of college could be free agents, with no salary restrictions. Open negotiations, including those for rookies coming out of college, will leave it to the players to get what they can get.

What are the long-term ramifications for the players?
If the union does decertify, it will cause a lot of uncertainty for the players. Teams could change the benefits package players receive, and there would be no organization to protect players' interests. Teams could offer players salaries well below the currently established minimums.

[SunMo]

that no draft thing is huge...

[ice grillin you]

if im a draft pick this year i seriously consider sitting out a year

could a new cba be agreed upon after midnite tonight and before the uncapped 07 year?...or once we hit tomorrow it is 100% certain that 07 will be uncapped


whats stopping a team like the skins from sign ing players to two year contracts during free agency this year...year one paying them $100 and year two (the uncapped year) paying them 10 million dollars

[SunMo]

if im a draft pick this year i seriously consider sitting out a year

could a new cba be agreed upon after midnite tonight and before the uncapped 07 year?...or once we hit tomorrow it is 100% certain that 07 will be uncapped


whats stopping a team like the skins from sign ing players to two year contracts during free agency this year...year one paying them $100 and year two (the uncapped year) paying them 10 million dollars

i am pretty sure the maximum salary escalation between single years is 33%

[General_Failure]

Well, the NFL still has to approve all contracts. I'm pretty sure $100 is a little under the minimum salary for any player this season.

[ice grillin you]

look everyone its mr literal!!

lemme try this again

whats stopping a team like the skins from sign ing players to two year contracts during free agency this year...year one paying them the league minimum and year two (the uncapped year) paying them 10 million dollars



i am pretty sure the maximum salary escalation between single years is 33%

really...ive never heard of that...would that still apply in an uncapped year

[SunMo]

i know there is a limit on the salary escalation, and i read that as the main guard against what you are talking about, it's only the % i am not sure about.

[Wingspan]

i would like to see the eagles offer freddie mitchell a $1 contract

[rjs246]

i would like to see the eagles offer freddie mitchell a $1 contract

Yeah but would it be worth it to have to pay him $1.30 next year? I don't like those numbers.

[Wingspan]

look everyone its mr literal!!

lemme try this again

whats stopping a team like the skins from sign ing players to two year contracts during free agency this year...year one paying them the league minimum and year two (the uncapped year) paying them 10 million dollars



i am pretty sure the maximum salary escalation between single years is 33%

really...ive never heard of that...would that still apply in an uncapped year

that only applies if there is an uncapped year