
July 21, 2011
NFL PAGE
The following is an official release from the National Football League, detailing the components of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
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JULYJuly 23
Voluntary training, conditioning and classroom instruction permitted until first day of clubs preseason training camps.
July 23
Pre-2011 League Year Period commences. 2011 Free Agency List to be issued and will become effective on the first day of the 2011 League Year (July 27). Clubsplayers may begin to renegotiate contracts. Clubs may begin to sign Drafted Rookies and their own UFAs, RFAs, Exclusive Rights Players and Franchise Players.
July 23
Waivers begin for the 2011 League Year.
July 23
Starting at 2:00 PM ET, clubs may negotiate with, but not sign, Undrafted Rookie Free Agents, free agents, and other clubs UFAs, RFAs, and Franchise Players.
July 24
Starting at 2:00 PM ET, clubs may begin to sign undrafted rookie free agents.
NFL
July 27
2011 League Year commences at 2:00 PM ET, provided NFLPA has ratified CBA. Free Agency Signing Period begins. Clubs may sign free agents and other clubs Unrestricted Free Agents. Clubs may sign Offer Sheets. Trading period begins. All Clubs must be under the Salary Cap. Top 51 rule applies.
July 27
Expand rosters to 90-man limit.
July 27
Training Camps open for all clubs, provided NFLPA has ratified CBA. Day One activities limited to physicals, meetings, and conditioning. No pads permitted on Day Two or Day Three.
AUGUSTAugust 9
Deadline for players under contract to report to their clubs to earn an Accrued Season for free agency.
August 11-15
First Preseason Weekend
August 12
Deadline for signing of Offer Sheets by Restricted Free Agents. (17-day period concludes)
August 12
Deadline for June 1 Tender to Unrestricted Free Agents. If the player has not signed a Player Contract with a Club by August 26, he may negotiate or sign a Player Contract from August 26 until the Tuesday following the tenth week of the regular season, at 4:00 PM ET, only with his Prior Club.
August 12
Deadline: if a Drafted Rookie has not signed a Player Contract by this date, he cannot be traded during his initial League Year and may sign a Player Contract only with the drafting Club until the day of the Draft in the next League Year.
August 13-17
Each Club has until five days prior to its second preseason game to provide any tendered but unsigned Exclusive Rights Player or Restricted Free Agent with written notice of the Clubs intent to place the player on the Exempt List if the player fails to report at least the day before the Clubs second preseason game.
August 16
Deadline for Prior Club to exercise Right of First Refusal to Restricted Free Agents. (Four-day matching period conlcudes)
August 17
Deadline for June 1 Tender to Restricted Free Agents who have received a Qualifying Offer for a Right of First Refusal Only.
August 18-22
Second Preseason Weekend.
August 25-28
Third Preseason Weekend.
August 26
Signing Period ends for Unrestricted Free Agents who received the June 1 Tender.
August 29
Deadline for June 15 Tender to Restricted Free Agents. If players Qualifying Offer is greater than 110 of the players prior years Paragraph 5 Salary (with all other terms of his prior year contract carried forward unchanged), the Club may withdraw the Qualifying Offer on August 29 and retain its exclusive negotiating rights to the player, so long as the Club immediately tenders the player a one-year Player Contract of at least 110 of his prior years Paragraph 5 Salary, with all the terms of his prior years contract carried forward unchanged.
August 30
Clubs reduce rosters from 90 players to 75 players.
SEPTEMBERSeptember 1-2
Fourth Preseason Weekend.
September 3
Clubs reduce rosters to 53 players.
September 8-12
First Regular-Season Weekend.
September 18-19
Second Regular-Season Weekend
September 20
Deadline at 4:00 PM ET for any Club that designated a Franchise Player to sign such player to a multi-year contract or extension.
If approved by the players, the new collective bargaining agreement will include the following key terms:
TERM:
The fixed term of the agreement covers the 2011 through 2020 seasons and includes the 2021 draft.
PLAYER HEALTH AND SAFETY:
Immediate implementation of changes to promote player health and safety by:
Reducing the off-season program by five weeks, reducing OTAs from 14 to 10;
Limiting on-field practice time and contact;
Limiting full-contact practices in the preseason and regular season;
Increasing number of days off for players.
Opportunity for current players to remain in the player medical plan for life.
An enhanced injury protection benefit of up to 1 million of a players salary for the contract year after his injury and up to 500,000 in the second year after his injury.
No change to the 16-4 season format until at least 2013; any subsequent increase in the number of regular-season games must be made by agreement with the NFL Players Association.
50 million per year joint fund for medical research, healthcare programs, and NFL Charities, including NFLPA-related charities.
RETIRED PLAYER BENEFITS:
Over the next 10 years, additional funding for retiree benefits of between 900 million and 1 billion. The largest single amount, 620 million, will be used for a new Legacy Fund, which will be devoted to increasing pensions for pre-1993 retirees.
Other improvements will be made to post-career medical options, the disability plan, the 88 Plan, career transition and degree completion programs, and the Player Care Plan.
DRAFTFREE AGENCY SYSTEM:
An annual Draft of seven rounds plus compensatory picks for teams which lose free agents.
Unrestricted free agency for players after four accrued seasons; restricted free agency for players with three accrued seasons.
Free agency exceptions (franchise and transition players).
ENTRY LEVEL COMPENSATION SYSTEM:
New entry-level compensation system including the following elements:
All drafted players sign four-year contracts.
Undrafted free agents sign three-year contracts.
Maximum total compensation per draft class.
Limited contract terms.
Strong anti-holdout rules.
Clubs have option to extend the contract of a first-round draftee for a fifth year, based on agreed-upon tender amounts.
Creation of new fund to redistribute, beginning in 2012, savings from new rookie pay system to current and retired player benefits and a veteran player performance pool.
ECONOMICS:
Salary cap plus benefits of 142.4 million per club in 2011 (120.375 million for salary and bonus) and at least that amount in 2012 and 2013.
Beginning in 2012, salary cap to be set based on a combined share of all revenue, a new model differentiated by revenue source with no expense reductions. Players will receive 55 percent of national media revenue, 45 percent of NFL Ventures revenue, and 40 percent of local club revenue.
Beginning in 2012, annual true up to reflect revenue increases or decreases versus projections.
Clubs receive credit for actual stadium investment and up to 1.5 percent of revenue each year.
Player share must average at least 47 percent for the 10-year term of the agreement.
League-wide commitment to cash spending of 99 percent of the cap in 2011 and 2012.
For the 2013-2016 seasons, and again for the 2017-2020 seasons, the clubs collectively will commit to cash spending of at least 95 percent of the cap.
Each club committed to cash spending of 89 percent of the cap from 2013-2016 and 2017-2020.
Increases to minimum salaries of 10 percent in Year 1 with continuing increases each year of the agreement.
2011-2012 TRANSITION RULES:
Special transition rules to protect veteran players in 2011. All teams will have approximately 3.5 million in what would otherwise be performance-based pay available to fund veteran player salaries.
Each club may borrow up to 3 million in cap room from a future year, which may be used to support veteran player costs.
In 2012, each club may borrow up to 1.5 million in cap room from a future year. Both these amounts would be repaid in future years.
OTHER:
No judicial oversight of the agreement. Neutral arbitrators jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA will resolve disputes as appropriate.
Settlement of all pending litigation.