The current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2020 season. The NFL and NFLPA already are engaged in discussions to get a new deal.
The Packers held a club union meeting Monday and came away encouraged by what they heard.
“It feels a little different because we had the uncapped year [in 2010 before the lockout in 2011],” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the team’s player representative, said, via Jim Owczarski of packersnews.com. “You learned a lot about how the salary cap worked back then. I think everybody kind of felt that offseason there was going to be a lockout. That’s the way the league wanted to go. I don’t know about this one. We’ll see. I think there’s a lot of things to be discussed. There’s some stuff that we need to make right for the next CBA.”
Four months ago, the NFLPA first warned players about the possibility of a work stoppage in 2021, encouraging them to save their money. It was a message repeated by Packers players who went through the three-month lockout in 2011.
“I always try to let them know, especially now since we are very close to that — if I had to make a safe assumption, I would say it’s gonna happen. Save your money,” Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga said. “I don’t know another, better way to say it. They can say, ‘Oh, well, you can say it; you can miss a year.’ Listen. Get two years of good money. Just save it. That’s the best I can tell them. Some guys listen. Some don’t. I hope the PA continues to come into our building, having meetings with us and push that narrative. They need to understand there’s already a good chance we are going to be locked out. There’s also a chance we miss part of the season. Guys have to be fully aware of that.”