NFL work stopage possible in 07?

[Dan2330]

Anyone have details on the possible work stoppage after next season? Maybe I was still sleeping but I could of sworn I heard on Fox Radio this morning that the NFL is strongly considering dumping the Salary Cap. I for one am a big fan of the cap, sure I hate seeing long term players like Jerry Rice becoming victims of the cap after so many years of great service to the 49ers, but I also do NOT want to see the NFL go the way of MLB and end up with greed driven owners who try buying championships like the Yankees.

[Stickman]

Anyone have details on the possible work stoppage after next season? Maybe I was still sleeping but I could of sworn I heard on Fox Radio this morning that the NFL is strongly considering dumping the Salary Cap. I for one am a big fan of the cap, sure I hate seeing long term players like Jerry Rice becoming victims of the cap after so many years of great service to the 49ers, but I also do NOT want to see the NFL go the way of MLB and end up with greed driven owners who try buying championships like the Yankees.

Man, doing away with the salary cap would be terrible for small TV market towns like Cincy, pitt or Cleveland. That would make our division pretty uncompetitive compared to NY, LA, Chicago and Miami. That would suck.

[LB51]

What's this world comin to? I actually agree with a squeeler fan!

Stickman, You are right on the money with that. We(Bengals,Squeelers,Turds) would take a huge step backwards if that goes down.

I couldn't imagine the league dumping the salary cap. The reason that the NFL stands heads above all other pro sports is because of the parity. That parity was brought along by the existince of the cap.

I would sincerely hope that the league has taken notice of the problems that MLB and the NHL have had because of the absence of a cap.

[HoosierCat]

There would be no work stoppage. The CBA does not expire until 2008. If they don't reach an extension very soon, 2007 will be an uncapped year. However, there are rules set forth for that uncapped year in the CBA that will prevent a great deal of player movement no matter how much money is available, such as the FA requirement moving from 4 years to 6. There are also rules about how many players a team can sign or lose; profootballtalk.com laid a lot of this stuff out a while back. Bottom line is that they do need to reach an extension, and they probably willl eventualy, but if 2007 is uncapped it is not a disaster.

[bengalboomer7]

And with Marvin's youth movement we wouldn't have many players eligible at all.

However, right now the NFLPA is taking the stance that if it gets that far, there will never be a salary cap again. That is not good,obviously, and the Bengals would have the same troubles the Reds have right now

[Kirkendall]

There would be no work stoppage. The CBA does not expire until 2008. If they don't reach an extension very soon, 2007 will be an uncapped year. However, there are rules set forth for that uncapped year in the CBA that will prevent a great deal of player movement no matter how much money is available, such as the FA requirement moving from 4 years to 6. There are also rules about how many players a team can sign or lose; profootballtalk.com laid a lot of this stuff out a while back. Bottom line is that they do need to reach an extension, and they probably willl eventualy, but if 2007 is uncapped it is not a disaster.

I think the bigger question, which boomer brought up, is whether or not the cap will return. Gene Upshaw is throwing out some very serious language that if the CBA isn't resolved by March (the start of FA) THIS YEAR then the likeliness of a salary cap anytime in the future is next to nil.

I do think IF there is a stoppage, it will be imposed by the players. I still think, and I've been saying this the past 2 years Joisey, is that the players want guaranteed contracts more than ever. I also think the players union in the NFL wants more of a voice in the league comparable to the other leagues and this will be their attempt to gain it.

I'm not in the prediction business by any means, just going off comments from those at the CBA table. But I do think the NFL is seriously in jeopardy of ruining a really really good thing.

[HoosierCat]

Related note from pft...

Word is that a series of meetings between representatives of the NFL and the NFLPA has created progress toward an agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. We're told that these talks have given rise to a "small possibility" that the free agency signing period will be delayed this year from March 3 until early April.

The mere talk of bumping back the opening of free agency confirms that the recent efforts to iron out the issues between management and labor are aimed at getting a new deal in place before the annual shopping spree commences. As it now stands, signing boni can be spread over only four years, and any incentives earned in 2006 automatically count against the salary cap in 2006. This will make it harder for teams to add new players and, in turn, less lucrative for the players.

A new deal also would undoubtedly increase the salary cap for 2006, giving teams more money to spend on their rosters. This is good news for teams like the Redskins and Jets, who reportedly are facing some tough salary-trimming decisions under the current '06 cap.