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UPDATE: Looks like a deal has been reached and the plan for the 2020 season is in place. Training camps should start on time.
Source: The NFLPA player reps approve the NFL’s proposal on their conference call. The deal is done. Let’s play football.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 24, 2020
The NFL is making strides toward putting together a season in 2020. There have been on-going negotiations with the NFLPA over various issues, mainly around the salary cap and payments/safety issues with COVID_19. The latest report is a positive one as the NFLPA Executive Committee has voted unanimously to accept the latest proposal.
Pending an agreement from players, NFL training camp will open as scheduled next week, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The league held a meeting with coaches, general managers, presidents and ownership Friday, and it concluded with clubs approving training camp, roster rules, matters addressing operations during COVID-19 and economics as well.
Among the agreements by NFL teams, sources told ESPN:
The 80-man roster deadline is Aug. 16, before padded practice, but teams can have 90-man rosters if they go with a split-squad setup. Some teams have plans to split squads and use stadium and regular practice facilities.
The salary cap remains the same for 2020 and there is a cap floor of $175 million in 2021 with the possibility of being higher based on revenue streams.
There will be a fund/benefit established to pay back any benefits eliminated as a result of COVID-19 up to 2023, as well as paying back any lost guaranteed money to players.
There will now be a vote from the player reps for the NFLPA which is scheduled to be held on Friday. It seems very unlikely that they will override the vote of the Executive Committee, especially a unanimous vote.
Among other items approved include an expansion of the practice squad to 16 players. PFT reports that each team could protect four members of the practice squad each week which would effectively make them part of the roster.
Here is part of the agreement about training camp scheduling:
As it was described on the NFL call, Days 16 and 17 would have rules similar to Phase II of the offseason program. Day 18, helmets can go on.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) July 24, 2020
Also, and this is important for coaches: I'm told you CAN have walkthroughs during the S&C period. https://t.co/NA8Dv84STw
Assuming all of this is approved, training camps should begin on time next week.
There is also this note about salaries in the event they don’t play.
Clarity on this point on base salaries: Any amount not paid in 2020 becomes guaranteed in the future year for the player. Just won’t be paid right now. If a player is a free agent, there is a pool of money from the NFL to make up any shortfall in future contract. https://t.co/o6zqQFEdRS
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 24, 2020
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