Chicago Bears (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
The NFLPA voted to ratify the new CBA on Sunday, but Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson is not satisfied.
Sunday morning was pleasant news for not just Chicago Bears fans, but NFL fans altogether. The league will now have 10 more years of labor peace, as the NFLPA voted to ratify the new CBA and it will be in effect through the 2030 season.
Of course, with all of the COVID-19 craziness going on, fans are happy to hear some positive news in the sports world. After a week that saw that sports world effectively shut down for the time being, fans should be thrilled with the new CBA being passed.
The approval did not come easy, however. When it came down to the vote, the results were extremely close: 1,019 voted “yes” while 959 voted “no.”
There are many great aspects of the new deal, but also some negatives. As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported, this was expected to be close and it was. Rapoport reiterated that, overall, this was a good deal for both sides because of the fact that neither side got every single thing they wanted. It was indeed a compromise.
One of the players who expressed his displeasure with the deal was Bears wideout Allen Robinson. He took to Twitter immediately after the news broke to share his feelings on the new deal.
All of the players who opposed the deal were obviously upset about one of the most notable parts of the deal: A 17-game regular season — which, to be clear, likely wouldn’t start until at least 2021.
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Robinson was not the only player upset with the deal, as guys like Eric Ebron, Stephon Gilmore and Darius Leonard also took to social media with their angst over the new CBA.
Other than the 17-game season, a few other highlights of the new CBA include:
- 3-game preseason
- Expanded game-day roster (48 players, including at least eight offensive linemen)
- Minimum salaries increased by $200,000
- Increased cap space due to minimum salary increase
- Seven playoff teams per conference
- Teams cannot use both the franchise tag and transition tag in the same season — only one may be used
Whether or not players and fans all agree on the deal is irrelevant when you take into consideration that the league will have peace for another decade. There will be no lockouts. We will have football, and that’s what matters.
Going forward in the immediate future, the question now becomes whether or not the league year will start on time. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero noted that the new league year is bargained and the NFLPA must approve any changes. So, this Wednesday, March 18 is still the day to watch.
