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PFT has obtained the full content of the most recent NFL proposal to the NFL Players Association, meaning that the weekend will feature a series of blots related to various aspects of the league’s position.
First, one of the most interesting aspects of professional soccer in a pandemic: the ability of players to choose not to play.
The deadline to make an all-or-nothing decision comes August 1 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Written notification “must be received” by the team before then; Once a notification is received about a certain player, the opt-out becomes irrevocable. Therefore, unlike a holdout (which can end at any time), the player who chooses not to participate cannot play at all in 2020.
A player who excludes himself will have his contract for a full year. You will not receive your base salary or any other payment scheduled to be earned after the opt-out date, and you will not earn a benefit credit or accrued season. In 2021, his contract will be reinstated. If he “promptly reports all required activities” in 2021, the opt-out will not become a breach of his 2020 contract, which “will not subject him to disciplinary action or confiscation, void any bonuses or warranties, or have other adverse consequences beyond those established here. “
That is an important provision. The player who chooses to leave in 2020 cannot resist or break his contract in 2021; If you do, your exclusion becomes a breach of your contract, after the fact.
The player who elects to receive will receive a stipend of $ 150,000 for 2020, less any amount already received by the player in 2020. The balance (up to $ 150,000) would be treated as an advance on the player’s base salary in 2021. (This implies that Players not under contract for 2021 would not be eligible for the stipend.)
This is the most intriguing aspect of the foreclosure proposal: The NFL offer states that “[n]or the club may renegotiate a contract with any player who has notified their intention to opt out. “As a practical matter, this gives the player until August 1 to use the threat of possible exclusion as a lever to obtain a new agreement.
The agent’s message to the team would be as follows: “My client wants to play this year, but he has serious reservations about the league’s security procedures, and he is concerned about catching the virus and passing it on to his family. But I would be willing to take the greatest risk of playing this year if I had a new contract. “
For players who have already voiced dissatisfaction with their contract, like Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, it potentially becomes the best overall move. If you exclude yourself, the year is over. And while he would still be subject to the terms of his 2020 contract in 2021, the Vikings would not have him on the team in 2020. Would the threat of an exclusion be enough for Cook to get paid?
One last point about exclusion: it is irrevocable for both the player’s team and any other team. Although it can be changed or released after choosing not to participate, the player cannot play for any team in 2020, once the exclusion notification is received.
Again, these terms come only from the latest NFL offer. The union may push for and secure a later exclusion date or the conditional ability to return at a specific date later in the year or more money for 2020 or other terms not currently on offer. For now, however, it is clear that the league is willing to allow a player to choose not to play, subject to broader agreement on the terms and conditions for the 2020 season.
