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NBC Sports
2 days ago
- Politics
- NBC Sports
Could the NFL draft eventually go away?
For years, I was as brainwashed as anyone by the NFL's version of the sorting hat. The draft was the ultimate offseason experience. The great bastion of hope for a brighter, for every NFL team. Then, during the lockout, NFL Players Association attorney Jeffrey Kessler explained that, in the absence of a league-wide union, the draft is an antitrust violation. At first, I didn't want to hear it. Over time, I started to like the sound of it. As explained in one of the 100-plus essays in Playmakers, the draft is fundamentally anti-American. Thirty-two independent businesses come together and control the entire labor market, parsing out employees based on a system under which the most inept of them get dibs on the best of the players. My 86-the-draft take has been dubbed derisively as a 'crusade' by others in the media, whose relevance and income are coincidentally tied to its ongoing existence. And I've come to accept the simple reality that, over the past decade, the draft has become too big to die. Understandably, then, I nearly fell out of my chair this morning when Peter King (making a return for the full two hours of PFT Live) suggested that the draft could go away in our lifetime. Personally, I don't buy it — but I like the sound of it. The folks at typed up the key quotes so I didn't have to. Peter's broader point is that, if the draft would at some point go away, the NFL would come up with something to replace the draft. And that thing would become as big, if no bigger. At some point, I'll lay out my idea for how talent would be distributed in a way other than rewarding the worst teams with the best players. Maybe this weekend, when things will be slow. If things will ever be slow again. For now, I won't rule out the possibility that the draft will die. While the NFL enjoys an antitrust exemption by virtue of its multi-employer bargaining unit, the current chief executive could tuck an elimination of that law in the next iteration of the big, beautiful bill. Or maybe the union would shut down in the face of the next lockout, and not settle the ensuing antitrust litigation. However it may play out, it's not impossible. Peter thinks it's very possible. And while that will rile up many who are under the honor-and-a-privilege spell, the NFL would find a way to make a post-draft existence work — and to make whatever replaces it the league's biggest offseason event.
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- Business
- NBC Sports
Will NFL try to dump the 50-50 revenue share with players?
In 2011, the lockout ended with the NFL Players Association getting, roughly speaking, a 50-50 share of all revenue. Many critics crapped on the deal the players did, ignoring among other things the fact that the owners were willing to skip an entire season of football and the players were not. There's another reason to applaud the 2011 deal. By taking a relatively even split of all football dollars generated by the game, the players acquired an unlimited upside. And the upside keeps going up and up and up. The cap has more than doubled in 14 years, shooting from $120.375 million to $279.2 million per team. Last week, Commissioner Roger Goodell dropped a strong hint that the owners possibly think the players are getting too much. 'We did spend time today talking, at length, about areas of our Collective Bargaining Agreement that we want to focus on,' Goodell told reporters after the quarterly ownership meetings. 'The two areas that we spent time on were really the cap system itself, the integrity of that system, how's it working, where do we need to address that in the context of collective bargaining, when that does happen. That was a very lengthy discussion. 'The second is just the rising cost, the cost of stadiums, the cost to facilities, the cost of operation, the cost of investment, and how dramatically that's impacting the ownership view. So, I think both of those will form what I would call our priorities. Going into any negotiation whenever that occurs. So that was the extent of our discussion today. [the] 18-and-two [season format] did not even come up.' It was unsolicited and unprompted. It was a message Goodell wanted to send. It was largely ignored by the media. It surely wasn't ignored by the NFLPA. From the league's perspective, it makes sense to wonder whether they can get the players to do something other than a 50-50 split. How about a set and certain cap for a fixed number of years into the future, unrelated to the money the sport generates? Why share all revenues equally when the owners don't have to? Also, why bear the burden of all other costs from the owners' half of the revenue? The possibility of the owners squeezing the players to take something less than half speaks to the imbalance between management and labor. Management will use the nuclear option, and the players won't. The current CBA has more than five years left. The salary cap will keep going up, especially once the NFL scraps the current TV deals after the 2029 season. The owners may want to change that, sooner than later. It won't be easy. But if the end result will be an offseason lockout along with a threat of a full season of no football, it will be far from impossible. For now, pay attention to things the Commissioner and the owners say. Monitor the sports-business outlets for news that the league has hired a lockout specialist like Bob Batterman. His arrival in 2008 was the clearest indication that a winter (and spring and summer) without football was coming. The players need to recognize this possibility and start planning for it. Time is on their side. A war chest can be built. Other steps can be taken to ensure that the players can pay the bills if/when they aren't getting paid. The problem, of course, is that plenty of the players who would be missing game checks in 2031 are currently in high school. Regardless, Goodell's gratuitous remark from last week wasn't an accident. As the pie keeps growing, the owners are having second thoughts about giving half of it to the players. Knowing that the players will accept a smaller piece over no pie at all will only embolden the owners to try.
NBC Sports
24-05-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Roger Goodell hints that next CBA will address owner concerns about cap system, rising costs
Superyachts ain't free. During Commissioner Roger Goodell's press conference to cap this week's ownership meetings, he was asked about potential discussions on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. With the NFL intent on expanding to 18 regular-season games (the current CBA allows 17) and 16 annual international games (the current CBA allows 10), a new deal with the NFL Players Association becomes a must. And a new deal can be done, in theory, at any time. 'There are no formal plans on any discussions,' Goodell told reporters. 'We obviously continue to be in close communication with the union on a variety of matters, but no start of negotiations have been set or are under consideration really at this point. We did spend time today talking, at length, about areas of our Collective Bargaining Agreement that we want to focus on. The two areas that we spent time on were really the cap system itself, the integrity of that system, how's it working, where do we need to address that in the context of collective bargaining, when that does happen. That was a very lengthy discussion.' Go back and read those last three sentences again. 'The second is just the rising cost, the cost of stadiums, the cost to facilities, the cost of operation, the cost of investment, and how dramatically that's impacting the ownership view,' Goodell said. 'So, I think both of those will form what I would call our priorities. Going into any negotiation whenever that occurs. So that was the extent of our discussion today. [the] 18-and-two [season format] did not even come up.' This is how it starts. With fewer than five years to go before the current CBA expires, the league is signaling its eventual objectives. Reading between the lines, Goodell seems to be saying that the owners are considering whether the current split of revenue between players and owners possibly isn't working. Really, why have a 'very lengthy discussion' if things are going swimmingly? Here's the basic reality. The owners learned in 2011 that, when push comes to shove, the players will do a deal. They'll huff and they'll puff but they won't miss game checks. It creates an imbalance in bargaining power that the owners — who would shut a season down in a heartbeat without blinking — have yet to fully leverage. With the salary cap not at $279.2 million per team, some owners surely think that too much is being spent on players. That, as the NFL continues to make more and more and more money, the players no longer need half. It's one thing for the NFL to make record revenues. It's another thing to turn those revenues into maximum profits. And it's safe to say that more than a few owners could be thinking that the ongoing explosion in cash (as mentioned earlier today, the cap has increased more than 230 percent since 2011) may be getting to the point at which the franchises should be retaining more than half of the money. If nothing else, the NFLPA is on notice. The owners could end up plotting a hard bargain that will convert unlimited payments based on percentages to fixed numbers that will look great on paper — but that will keep more total cash in the owners' coffers. At the end of the day (and at the expiration of the CBA), what will the players do about it? The owners could be ready to make an all-in bet that they'll blink. Again.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Our Olympic flag football dream teams for the U.S. and Canada
Yesterday, the NFL's 32 team owners voted unanimously to give their players the green light to compete in the Olympic debut of flag football in 2028. There's still work to do before we potentially see NFL stars on the smaller gridiron in Los Angeles. The league must reach deals with the NFL Players' Association, the International Olympic Committee and various national governing bodies on stuff like insurance policies for injuries, marketing rights and how and when teams will be picked. But the NFL has been pushing for this moment for years, including converting its annual Pro Bowl game to a flag format, so expect those deals to get done. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to pick a flag football Dream Team for the United States, home to more than 95 per cent of the NFL's players, and Canada, the top non-U.S. producer of NFLers and home of the world's second-best pro football league in the CFL. A few things to know before we get to the teams: * Qualification for the men's and women's flag football events at the 2028 Olympics has not yet taken place. Each tournament will include six teams, with 10 players on each team. Under the NFL's proposal, a maximum of one player per NFL team is allowed on each national team. * The U.S., Canada and other countries already have national flag football teams that compete in the world championships and other international tournaments. These athletes specialize in flag football, and some have expressed resentment over NFL stars potentially taking away their chance to play in the Olympics. Flag football involves different skills than tackle football, so it's possible that some of the current flag players could hold onto their spots. But for the purposes of today's exercise, I'm only considering NFL and CFL players for my Dream Teams. * The CFL and its players' union haven't yet reached a decision on participating in the Olympics. It's trickier for them because the Olympics take place during their season, whereas NFLers would only miss a few days of training camp at most. But, for today, we're assuming CFL players will be available to represent Canada. * There are different versions of flag football, but the Olympics will follow the international standard of 5-on-5, with 10 players on each roster. For today, we'll assume no one is playing on both sides of the ball (sorry, Travis Hunter). * Because there's no tackling or blocking in flag football, the physical profile of the players at the highest levels tends to be more uniform. Speed and agility are obviously still essential, but size and strength is less important, so linemen and linebackers will have a tough time making these teams. There's a centre who snaps the ball to the quarterback, but he immediately becomes a pass-catcher, so heavy guys need not apply for even that job. The defence designates one pass rusher on each player, but with no big blockers to outmuscle, that role will probably go to a smaller, quicker guy too. * The typical positions on offence for 5-on-5 flag are quarterback, centre and three wide receivers/running backs. On defence, two defensive backs and two safeties are joined by a pass rusher who lines up seven yards from the line of scrimmage and can immediately go after the quarterback for a sack. The DBs line up wide and closer to the line of scrimmage to defend the short pass or outside run. The safeties are behind them and closer to the middle of the field, where they pick up receivers who get open deep or grab the flags of runners who get past the DBs and pass rusher. Alright, let's get to the Dream Teams! Offence QB: Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City) Centre: Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders) WR/Back: Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings) WR/Back: Ja'Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals) WR/Back: De'Von Achane (Miami Dolphins) Mahomes is a no-brainer. The three-time Super Bowl MVP is the best quarterback in the world and no one is better at extending plays to complete a pass. That's an essential skill in flag, where the unblocked rusher is bearing down on you every play. Jefferson and Chase are easy picks too. The planet's top two receivers are both young, explosive and basically uncoverable at all levels of the field. Chase won the pass-catching triple crown last season, leading the NFL in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17), while Jefferson ranked in the top six in all of those categories with journeyman Sam Darnold as his QB. Plus, he's an NFL flag ambassador who says he's dreamed of winning an Olympic gold medal since he was a kid. Bowers gets the nod at centre after finishing third in the league in catches (112) and tied for eighth in receiving yards (1,194) as a rookie last season. Like I said, there's no blocking involved in the centre position, but I think it would be good to have a big, athletic pass-catcher out there, especially for short-yardage situations, and the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Bowers fits the bill. The Achane pick is a little outside the box. A lot of people will prefer to fill that spot with another great receiver like Dallas' CeeDee Lamb or Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown. And if you want a back, how do you pass on 2,000-yard rusher Saquon Barkley or Detroit's electric Jahmyr Gibbs? All great choices, but for flag football I want speed and versatility over tackle-breaking ability. The smaller Achane is one of the NFL's fastest players, and he led all backs in catches and receiving yards last season. Defence Pass rusher: Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers) DB: Patrick Surtain II (Denver Broncos) DB: Derek Stingley Jr. (Houston Texans) Safety: Kyle Hamilton (Baltimore Ravens) Safety: Christian Gonzalez (New England Patriots) I know I said we don't need linebackers, but I'm making an exception for Warner, the incredibly rangy 6-foot-3, 230-pound heart and soul of the 49ers' defence. He has the tools and the smarts to pivot to covering a big pass catcher like Bowers if he's not getting in the quarterback's face. Surtain won Defensive Player of the Year last season, becoming just the third cornerback to win the award this century. Stingley, also a cornerback, joined Surtain on the All-Pro first team, along with the versatile Hamilton at safety. Hamilton's teammate Marlon Humphrey would have been a good choice to move from corner to safety for the flag team, but the one-player-per-team rule sends us to Gonzalez, the very impressive young corner for the Patriots. CANADA Offence QB: Nathan Rourke (B.C. Lions) Centre: Josh Palmer (Buffalo Bills) WR/Back: Chuba Hubbard (Carolina Panthers) WR/Back: Chase Brown (Cincinnati Bengals) WR/Back: John Metchie III (Houston Texans) Rourke has never thrown a pass in the NFL, but he's the best quarterback talent we've got after bouncing around to four different NFL teams in 2023 and 2024 following his CFL Most Outstanding Canadian award in '22. Rourke returned to the Lions last year, while his younger brother Kurtis was picked in the seventh round by San Francisco in last month's NFL draft after a strong year at Indiana University. I'm giving two spots to running backs here because Canada has two really good ones. Hubbard and Brown are both coming off breakthrough years, scoring 11 touchdowns apiece. Brown was the more explosive pass catcher, averaging 6.7 yards per catch with four TDs through the air, so he'd have the bigger role on my team. Metchie has struggled to find his footing as a pro after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2022, costing him his rookie season, but he put up big numbers in college with powerhouse Alabama. Palmer reached 600 yards just once in his first four seasons with the Chargers, but the Bills must see something in him because they signed him to a three-year, $29-million US contract in March. He's the bigger guy, so I'm putting him at centre. Defence Pass rusher: Brady Oliveira (Winnipeg Blue Bombers) DB: Benjamin St-Juste (Los Angeles Chargers) DB: Tyrell Ford (Edmonton Elks) Safety: Jevon Holland (New York Giants) Safety: Sydney Brown (Philadelphia Eagles) Oliveira is a running back, but I'm doing some creative roster management here by finding a spot for the reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player. And, if Hubbard or Chase Brown goes down or needs a breather, Oliveira can slide over to offence. Holland is one of the better safeties in the NFL. After four strong seasons with Miami that included a 99-yard pick-six, he commanded a three-year, $45M contract from the Giants. Brown, who is Chase Brown's identical twin brother, helped the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl championship last season. St-Juste, a cornerback, just signed with the Chargers after spending his first four years with Washington. Ford, also a corner, was selected to the All-CFL team last year after snagging seven interceptions for Winnipeg.
NBC Sports
21-05-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Inside the Brock Purdy deal
Five days after the initial, best-case numbers were leaked at five o'clock on a Friday, the details are out. The Brock Purdy contract has been signed. The contract has been filed with the league and the NFL Players Association. Which means that the truth is now available. We've obtained the full details, from a source with knowledge of the terms. Here's the full breakdown: 1. Signing bonus: $40 million. 2. 2025 base salary: $41.1 million. 3. 2026 option bonus: $37.75 million, fully guaranteed. 4. 2026 workout bonus: $100,000, fully guaranteed but must be earned. 5. 2026 base salary: $8.296 million, fully guaranteed. 6. 2026 per-game roster bonus: $850,000, fully guaranteed but must be earned. 7. 2027 option bonus: $15 million (guarantee details below). 8. 2027 workout bonus: $100,000 (guarantee details below). 9. 2027 base salary: $11.3 million (guarantee details below). 10. 2027 per-game roster bonus: $850,000 (guarantee details below). 11. 2028 option bonus: $20 million, guaranteed for injury and becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2027. 12. 2028 workout bonus: $100,000, guaranteed for injury and becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2027, but must be earned. 13. 2028 base salary: $34.1 million, guaranteed for injury and becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2027. 14. 2028 per-game roster bonus: $850,000, guaranteed for injury and becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2027, but must be earned. 15. 2029 workout bonus: $100,000 (guarantee details below, but must be earned). 16. 2029 base salary: $49 million (guarantee details below). 17. 2029 per-game roster bonus: $850,000 (guarantee details below, but must be earned). 18. 2030 workout bonus: $100,000. 19. 2030 base salary: $49.05 million. 20. 2030 per-game roster bonus: $850,000. 2027 guarantees: The full 2027 pay of $27.25 million is guaranteed for injury. Of that amount, $11.904 million is fully guaranteed at signing. The remaining $15.346 million becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2026. 2029 guarantees: Of the 2029 compensation, $12.154 million is guaranteed for injury at signing. Of that amount, $7.154 million becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2028. The remaining $5 million becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2029. Of the $55.05 million injury guarantee in 2028, $5 million becomes fully guaranteed before 2027 if Purdy has at least 50-percent playing time and wins a Super Bowl in 2025 or 2026. The deal has $100 million fully guaranteed at signing and $182.55 million is guaranteed for injury. In addition to the $100 million that is fully guaranteed at signing, $15.346 million becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2026. Another $55.05 million becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2027. And another $12.154 million becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, 2028. The deal pays out $41.1 million in 2025, $46.996 million in 2026, $27.25 million in 2027, $55.05 million in 2028, $49.95 million in 2029, and $50 million in 2030. As a practical matter, the first three years ($115.346 million) are fully guaranteed at signing. The first real decision point for the 49ers comes after the first two seasons. After the 2026 season, the 49ers will have until April 1, 2027 to avoid $55.05 million in full guarantees for 2028. They would owe Purdy $27.25 million for 2027, subject to offset. Purdy is guaranteed to earn, as a practical matter, $115.346 million through 2027. The 49ers can avoid his $55.05 million compensation in 2028 by cutting him on or before April 1, 2027. The new-money average is $53 million per year. The six-year deal, from signing, has an annual value of $45.057 million.
