J.J. Watt Voices Thoughts on New CBA Proposal: 'Hard No'
Houston Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt made his thoughts on the NFL's possible new collective bargaining agreement explicitly clear on Thursday.
"Hard no on that proposed CBA," he tweeted.
On Thursday, NFL owners voted in New York City to accept the negotiated terms for a new CBA. The players will reportedly discuss whether to accept these same terms on Friday, and a new CBA could potentially be ratified before the start of the new league year on March 18. Two-thirds of the 32 player reps, and a majority of all NFL players, would need to approve the terms for a new CBA.
The new proposal includes expanding the NFL's regular-season schedule to 17 games, which wouldn't go into effect until 2021 at the earliest. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier this week that the proposal would also boost the sport's postseason from six teams per conference to seven.
Revenue split has also been a point of contention during CBA negotiations. According to NFL Network, the players' share will increase from 47% to 48% each year if the NFL schedule remains at 16 games, and it will jump to 48.5% if a 17-game schedule is approved.
Sports Illustrated's Jenny Vrentas noted Thursday that it’s not clear when negotiations would resume if the players do not agree to the proposed terms and that it's possible the league would not come up with a new proposal ahead of the start of the new NFL year.
Watt is not alone in voicing his concerns on the proposal. San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman supported the Texans' star on social media. Others, including Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette. Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari have also raised possible concerns.
During Thursday's meeting, the owners approved to move forward under the final year of the 2011 CBA if the players do not accept the negotiated terms.
The 10-year CBA agreement between the league and the union runs through the 2020 season and the two parties have been negotiating to try and avoid a work stoppage.
