Report: NFL, Players Union Start Labor Talks

The NFL and NFLPA reportedly have started negotiations to reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement.

Even though the current collective bargaining agreement does not expire until the end of the 2020 season, the NFL and the NFL Players Association have begun the process of trying to reach a new labor deal, The New York Timesreports.

According to the report, executives from the NFL and the NFLPA had two meetings last month in efforts to get a head start on what could be contentious negotiations, and there has been “little of the rancor evidence in the last labor dispute."

The last time the CBA came up for review in 2011, the league locked the players out for four months. 

“I do hope it is sooner rather than later,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week. “I think there is great value to all parties, and most importantly our fans, that we get this issue resolved and move forward.”

As as far what the players want this time around in the next CBA, the Times reports that they expect a “modest increase” in their share of overall revenue. That could come when the media negotiations start to take place.

The NFLPA wants to strike a deal while president and free agent offensive lineman Eric Winston is still in office. Winston set to remain president of the NFLPA until March 2021.