Details of Proposed NFL Labor Agreement Leaked

By - Brian Harrington

At Tuesday's league meeting in Illinois, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell revealed to the owners that in the next proposed agreement, the players will receive a 48% share of "all revenue" without the $1 billion+ expense credit off the top that had been a source of contention in past negotiations. As part of the deal, the players share is also guaranteed to never drop below 46.5%.

Photo by: David Yellen

Other proposed collective bargaining agreement details are:

- Teams would now be required to spend close to 100% of the salary cap.

- A rookie wage scale is part of the deal, but is currently in the developmental stages.

- Four years needed to have unrestricted free agent status, certain tags would be retained. Sources say if a deal is reached, ALL players with four+ years experience at the end of their contract would automatically become unrestricted free agents.

- An 18-game regular season designated only as a negotiable item and at no point is mandated in the deal.

- A full 16-game Thursday night TV package beginning with the 2014 season.

- Owners will still get some expense credits that will allow funding for new stadiums.

- Retired players to benefit from improved health care and pension benefits, as revenue is projected to double to $18 million by the 2016 season.

Again, nothing is set in stone, but this a major step forward in having NFL football this year.