PFT has obtained a summary of the labor deal that was approved today by the NFLPA* Executive Committee and board of player representatives.
We’d ordinarily think of some funny or poignant turn of phrase right here, but time’s-a-wastin’.
Regarding the issue of the minimum per-team cash spend (something for which Saints quarterback Drew Brees recently told teammates via e-mail he would be fighting), the two sides agreed that each franchise will spend at least 89 percent of the cap, on a four-year average from 2013 through 2016, and from 2017 through 2020. (Across the entire league, the NFL has committed to spending 99 percent of the cap space in 2011 and 2012, and 95 percent for the rest of the deal.)
Teams will be allowed to have a whopping 90 players on the roster during training camp.
The timeline meshes exactly with the timeline we posted earlier today. (It was never revised due to the slight delay in the voting process.)
The league year will begin August 4, unless the CBA is ratified sooner than that by the players.
Workout bonuses will be paid in full if a player is not waived before 4:01 p.m. ET on July 29. If the player is waived before then, the full amount will be paid if the bonus was less than $50,000. From $50,000 to $100,000, the player will get $50,000. For bonuses over $100,000, the player will get half, up to $100,000.
Roster and option bonuses to be earned during the lockout will be earned if the player is on the roster at 4:00 p.m. ET on July 29. (That could be called the Vince Young rule.)
As to injury protection, a player will get half of his salary, up to $1 million, in the season after a catastrophic injury. In the second year, he’ll get 30 percent, up to $500,000.
As to the workers’ compensation forum-shopping issue, the question of whether players will be permitted to file claims in California despite never playing for a team headquartered there will continue to be subject ongoing litigation on that point. (There goes the league’s desire for a clean courtroom slate.)
There is no opt out, as previously reported by Albert Breer of NFL Network. It’s a firm, 10-year contract.
Stay tuned for more details as we try to digest the paperwork that already is flooding the PFT e-mailbox.