Pats726

Section 2. Top Four Teams: Each of the four Clubs that participated in the NFC and AFC Championship
games the Prior League Year shall not be permitted to negotiate and sign any Unrestricted Free Agent to a
Player Contract, except: (a) any Unrestricted Free Agent who acquired that status as a result of the NFL
waiver system; (b) any Unrestricted Free Agent who was under contract to such Club on the last date of the
last League Year of the player’s most recent Player Contract; and (c) any Unrestricted Free Agent signed
pursuant to Section 4 below.
Section 3. Next Four Teams: Each of the four playoff Clubs that lost in the immediately preceding playoff
games to the four Clubs that participated in the NFC and AFC Championship games the Prior League Year
shall not be permitted to negotiate and sign any Unrestricted Free Agent to a Player contract, except: (a) any
Unrestricted Free Agent who acquired that status as a result of the NFL waiver system; (b) any Unrestricted
Free Agent who was under contract to such Club on the last date of the last League Year of the player’s most
recent Player contract; (c) any Unrestricted Free Agent signed pursuant to Section 4 below; and (d) any
Unrestricted Free Agent as follows:
(i) One such player for a Player Contract that has a first year Salary of $1,500,000 or more; and
(ii) Any number of such players for a Player Contract that has a first year Salary of no more than $1,000,000
and an annual increase in any future contract years of no more than 30% of the first contract year Salary, not
including any amount attributed to any signing bonus. In addition, each such Club and each such player
entering into a Player Contract pursuant to this subsection may not renegotiate to increase the amount of
Salary to be paid during the term of the Player Contract for a period of one year after the signing date of such
contract.
Section 4. Replacement of Free Agents Signed by Other Club: Each of the eight Clubs subject to the
provisions of this Article shall be permitted to negotiate and sign one Unrestricted Free Agent to a Player
Contract (“New Player�) for each Unrestricted Free Agent who was under contract to such Club on the last
date of the prior League Year, who has signed with another Club (“Previous Player�), so long as the Player
Contract for the New Player shall have a first year Salary of no more than the first year Salary of the Player
Contract signed by the Previous Player with the New (continued page 81) Club, and an annual increase in any
any future contract years of no more than 30% of the first contract year Salary, excluding any amounts
attributable to any signing bonus. In addition, each such Club and each such player entering into a Player
Contract pursuant to this subsection may not renegotiate to increase the amount of Salary to be paid during
the term of the Player Contract for a period of one year after the signing date of such contract.

spacecrime

Yeah, I see what you are saying, but this is the exact OPPOSITE of what you said. You said that without a CBA the top teams would be restircted from signing FAs. The opposite is true - top teams are restricted WITH the CBA. Without a CBA, they can sign any damn player they want.

PatsSteve1

If this were just the player's asscociation and the owner's group I think it would get done fairly easily. But the owners aren't a solidified group as far as revenue sharing goes. You got Jerry Jones saying he doesn't think not having a salary cap is a bad thing and he isn't big on sharing any local revenue he gets with other owners. I doubt he's alone amoungst the big revenue teams. Then you have teams that make money but don't spend what they could and would rather just pocket it. And teams that just don't/can't or even try, to make extra revenue. Some just want a share of some other teams money
I have no idea of what the NFL will be like with no CBA.

ctpatsfan77

I believe that the CBA quote refers to what happens after the CBA expires. The poison pill is that the top teams are restricted in signing FAs, while everyone else can do "whatever they want."

__________________
"Momentum was quickly snatched away by New England, who once again proved that any Patriot, at any moment, can make a play." —Inside the NFL, Packers v. Patriots

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

MagicMarker

I'm no attorney, but the quote above is the system in place for the last year of the current CBA, which is an uncapped year. If there is no CBA, and there is no union, EVERYTHING agreed upon in a CBA could be out. That could include:

-- No draft
-- No minimum salary
-- No pension, 401K
-- Free agency at ANY number of years
-- Active roster size set at anything the league agrees to

Any rules the NFL imposes could be challenged on anti-trust law. There is a lot of posturing going on, but both sides lose the benefit of their bargain in a CBA. But, you'd have to think the advantage would go to owners since they would implement their own plan and the players would have to sue them -- and the owners wouldn't be collecting their union dues for them anymore.

Patsfanin Philly

It reminds me of the strike of 1987 and the use of scab/replacement players. Some teams (the good ones it seemed) planned ahead and had players lined up to sign for the three weeks while others, lacking foresight played it by the seat of their pants and got burned. IIRC, some of the teams had players cross the picket line but it was more of a wink wink nod nod "they're playing but they're not scabs" type thing.
And yeah, I think there is a plan B, C and even D .... Wouldn't you expect that from this organization?
Just my $0.02,