On Sunday, March 15th, NFL players voted to approve a new collective bargaining agreement that will set up labor peace between players and owners for the next 11 years.
The NFL Players Association set off a league wide chain of events that ultimately led to the NFL keeping intact the opening of the new league year Wednesday.
That means the franchise tag and transition tag deadline remains intact at 8:59:59 a.m. PT on Monday, with the legal negotiating window opening at 9 a.m. The new league year is set at 1 p.m. PT on Wednesday, at which point deals officially can be announced.
Free agency will open as planned this week with the legal tampering period beginning Monday. The decision to do so came after a full day of meetings Sunday and took into account a number of factors, including concerns of the coronavirus. The league ultimately decided to move on as planned.
“We are pleased that the players have voted to ratify the proposed new CBA, which will provide substantial benefits to all current and retired players, increase jobs, ensure continued progress on player safety and give our fans more and better football,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “We appreciate the tireless efforts of the members of the Management Council Executive Committee and the NFLPA leadership, both of whom devoted nearly a year to detailed, good faith negotiations to reach this comprehensive, transformative agreement.”
The NFLPA said in a statement: “This result comes after a long and democratic process in accordance with our constitution. An independent auditor received submitted ballots through a secure electronic platform, then verified, tallied and certified the results.”
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