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May 19, 2009 4:39 pm US/Eastern
NFL Owners Weighing Longer Season, New CBA
FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
Football buffs wanting to know whether they will soon get to watch more NFL games will have to wait it out a little while longer. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday he doesn't anticipate a vote at this week's spring meeting in Ft. Lauderdale on lengthening the regular season to 17 or 18 games.
The NFL placed a two year extension through the 2013 season on its television deals with Fox and CBS which Goodell acknowledged adds "flexibility" for more games. But it's likely that no decision will be made until talks are held with players in the coming weeks and months.
"We have tried to look at this from every different perspective because you want to know the intended consequences and the unintended consequences," Goodell said. "Whenever you're dealing with the quality of the game, that's a key factor."
In the last few months, Goodell has mentioned the need to replace preseason games in which few star players get on the field for "meaningful" football. The plan would likely cut the preseason schedule to two games, start the season in its typical slot just after Labor Day and add the new game(s) to the end of the current 16-game format.
Goodell said Fox and CBS are not opposed to the notion. "Clearly, they see value in additional regular-season games. We'll begin discussions and negotiations with our players to talk about what we've found in our analysis. It's important when you're dealing with the core of your product, your game, that you be very careful."
New NFL Players Union president DeMaurice Smith said players need to be aware of what's at stake for additional games. "The players understand the cost to their bodies," he said. "Their families understand when they get out of football and they have arthritis before they're 40. They understand the cost."
Smith met briefly with owners shortly after the session began. His immediate challenge is a new collective bargaining agreement since NFL owners opted out of the current contract last year.
If the two sides can't come together on a new collective bargaining agreement, the 2010 season will become an uncapped season. The players union and owners have indicated that if an uncapped season takes place, the chances of bringing the salary cap back would be slim.
An uncapped season would impact would-be free agents and small market teams for the 2010 season. Teams would have unlimited funds to pay any superstar player who had at least 6 seasons in the league.
However, for players like Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, they would only become restricted free agents, meaning the Cowboys could essentially squat on the rights to Ware at a significantly lower salary until he reached the end of his original contract in 2011, or trade him to a team willing to give up top dollar for the player.
The impact could be greater on small-market franchises like the Buffalo Bills, who would not have the money to compete with teams like the New York Jets/Giants or the Dallas Cowboys for top notch talent. That would alter the competitive balance that has made the NFL the most watched sport in the United States.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
2009 Dolphins Cheerleader Calendar Shoot
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