The NFL proposal would make it impossible for any team to receive a bye week or other advantage over a better team. Byes would be given only to division champions, and top seeds are reserved for division winners. In the playoffs, the top four seeds in a conference are the division winners, so a team would not be favored by virtue of its record. A 20week season would also make it easier to justify creative alignment of gaps between games.
16-game season
NFL fans have long questioned the need to extend the season. The current 14-game season is more than enough. NFL fans would like to see more upsets, but lowering the preseason to two games would keep the current number of games. That way, teams would play the same number of home and away games throughout the season, while still maximizing the intensity of the top teams. In addition, more games would mean more meaningful playoff games.
Many argue that an expansion would increase player morale. Players are often beaten up by the end of a sixteen-game season, so it is unlikely that they will be able to compete if they aren’t rested. The NFL should consider a longer season to increase its revenue and attract more fans, but not players’ unions and owners. If the NFL goes ahead with the expansion, there are some cons.
Players’ unions voted against expanding the season, citing injuries. This is understandable, given that the NFL owners are already happy with the current seventeen-game season. However, money always is the bottom line. This extra game would increase the number of games played and the players’ salaries. However, there are many advantages to extending the season. The players will play more games, but that will mean more injuries.
If owners voted for an expansion, it was a formality. The new collective bargaining agreement will allow the NFL to play 17 games instead of 16 games. The new contract is set to go into effect in 2030 and will require a new media rights deal. A new CBA will be in place by that time. While it was a formality, the expansion will make the 2021 season the first of its kind.
The NFL has been looking for new ways to make money and the expansion to a 20week season is not far off. After all, it is the biggest game of its history. With so many games, the NFL is always seeking ways to increase its revenue and make more money. This has led to record-setting TV contracts and a $200 million salary cap in 2022. There are other benefits as well.
2 bye weeks
The NFL has long wanted to play one extra week of games each season, and it’s worth noting that the league would have agreed to the expanded schedule years ago if the NFLPA had not blocked it. But now that the owners are in charge, it would be hard for them to deny their players a lucrative new bonus because they know a longer season means more injuries. The NFL even tried an 18-week season with two byes in 1993, but reverted to the 17-week schedule. Moreover, the NFL has come under fire from negative press because of the CTE and post-career injuries afflicting players. So, how do owners justify expanding the season to 20 weeks?
A 20-week schedule would increase the advantage of the top seed, while decreasing the advantage of the no. 2 seed. It would eliminate the advantage that the no. 1 seed enjoys over the second-place team. The top seed would still get a bye, but the second-placed team would have to win back-to-back games to advance. Moreover, the second-placed team would have to win back-to-back games to reach the Super Bowl. In the end, the Chargers would most likely have to travel to the top four seed to play the Chiefs.
Should the NFL expand to a 20-week season? If so, how should it be done? There are a few ways it can be done. First, the league could eliminate the preseason. By eliminating Thursday night games, it could reduce the number of games each team plays in a season. A second way is to increase the amount of games. A season with 20 weeks would make the league more lucrative. In addition to this, the NFL could open its games up to all streaming services and make more money.
Lastly, a 20-week season would allow for playoffs, which would be an additional week of games. Moreover, it would increase television revenue and allow for the NFL to rebalance its schedule. Moreover, by shifting the Super Bowl to a later date, it would also allow for playoff games to air in February, which are already critical sweeps weeks for its broadcast partners. Additionally, the NFL would be able to give each team two weeks of byes.
Reduce cluster of 1:00 p.m. ET games
The NFL has been increasing the number of Sunday-night games by one game each week, but this practice is not sustainable. This is particularly true in the last seven weeks of the regular season, which has two national-television games. In an ideal world, all games would be played on Sunday, but in practice, the NFL must accommodate regional teams’ schedules by moving them to a Sunday night.
A team’s cap space may be limited, and that’s one of the factors that makes the spread-out signing bonus of a player unviable. However, in some circumstances, teams must pay out the remaining portion of a signing bonus all at once. In such situations, the team must pay out the remaining portion of the signing bonus, and that amount will be deducted from the team’s cap space.
Dead cap
If a player is cut from the roster, his dead money will count against the team’s salary cap in the next two seasons. This is often referred to as a “dead cap” because the money is not spent on the roster. However, when a player’s contract is terminated, his signing bonus will be divided between the two seasons. Dead money in the NFL is often considered to be a good thing for a team, as it keeps players from retiring in their prime.
This problem can be mitigated with a simple solution. Teams should avoid agreeing to contracts with guaranteed money over multiple seasons. While guaranteed money may sound interesting in the event of a pandemic, it’s unlikely to make players work harder in the long run. Therefore, avoiding dead money in NFL contracts is a great strategy for protecting the team’s cap. Some teams negotiate contracts more favorably than others, and this is one of the easiest ways to minimize this problem.
Another problem with dead money is the fact that it hamstrings teams from signing “live” players. For example, the contracts of Carson Wentz and Jared Goff were structured to prevent an early exit. While they were signed with large signing bonuses, these money would be pushed into future years as unamortized proration. This process accelerates when the player is cut, putting a cap on players’ salaries.
However, the dead cap in the NFL is designed to ensure that players are not released until the end of a season. This means that a player’s base salary can be spread across two seasons rather than one. If a player is released prior to the June 1 deadline, the team will have to carry the dead money until the end of the season. If a team is willing to wait until June 1 to cut a player, the dead money can be used to offset the salary cap hit.
Structured contracts
One of the most important elements of a football contract is the structure, which can have several different components. For instance, a team can “clear cap space” by releasing a player or asking them to take a pay cut, or restructure a contract. Although restructuring is a common term in football, it’s often misunderstood. Below are some of the components of structured contracts in the NFL.
The Denver Broncos are one example. Most of their players sign lucrative contracts that include modest signing bonuses, a first-year roster bonus, and early-year salary guarantees. While many of these contracts are guaranteed, they’re conditional, so a team can opt out without incurring negative cap consequences. For example, quarterback Cam Newton’s six-year, $42.5 million deal with a $3.25 million signing bonus has a fully guaranteed base salary for each of his first three years.
Other types of guaranteed money are often included in NFL contracts. For example, a team might agree to pay a player’s base salary for 17 installments during the season. This makes the player uncuttable. And the NFL salary cap is constantly in flux, so the players’ contracts are the best way to ensure that their income doesn’t fall short of the salary cap. So how does a team structure its contracts?
One relatively new structure is pay as you go. In pay as you go contracts, the player’s cash and salary cap numbers stay the same from year to year. In return, the player receives salary guarantees instead of a signing bonus. The first contract year is usually comprised of a fully guaranteed base salary and roster bonus, which is due within a few days of signing. The most lucrative pay-as-you-go contracts have a fully guaranteed base salary and conditional early roster bonus for the second year.
Guaranteed for injury clauses
When players sign NFL contracts, they are often required to include Guaranteed for Injury clauses. These clauses assure that a player will receive X amount of money if they are injured during the course of play. Injuries sustained while playing the game are considered “football-related injuries,” and the club is required to pay injured players salary during rehab. The amount of money that is paid to players depends on the contract terms.
In some NFL contracts, a player can opt for a Guaranteed for Injury clause. These contracts guarantee players the money if they become injured while playing the game. The clause can be either fully or partially guaranteed. A fully guaranteed contract includes money for skill AND cap. An injury guarantee in a player’s contract is more common. This clause can be beneficial for players in precarious salary cap situations. Injury guarantees can also help players with debilitating injuries.
One example is the Miami Dolphins’ deal with linebacker Kyle Van Noy. Originally, Van Noy was signed to a four-year, $51 million contract that guaranteed $30 million in total guarantees. Ultimately, the contract became a one-year, $15 million deal after the team moved on to a different player. Van Noy did not play in March 2021, so the Dolphins could have re-negotiated his contract.
While guaranteed money in an NFL contract is not bonus money, it does represent a large portion of the newly signed contract. It is often perceived as staggering amounts and used to lure players to a team’s negotiating table. The amount that a player receives in guaranteed money is typically proportional to the number of years he plays. By using this guarantee as a bargaining chip, the player can get most of the money in his contract.
Restructuring
While a team can often save money by cutting players, restructured contracts can help teams keep their entire roster. Restructuring in the NFL enables teams to save money while still keeping a healthy roster. The player takes a pay cut in exchange for cap relief and the team saves money. However, the players may be left out of the team’s plans for next season.
Some teams choose to restructure player contracts to ensure they can afford the money. In return, the players receive a reduced cap hit and a longer timetable to pay off the rest of their deals. Teams typically do not give restructures to just anyone. Instead, they prefer to give them to cornerstone players or key contributors for an extended period of time. Injuries and trends should also be considered.
Another option is to restructure the base salary of the player to make it easier to get under the cap. Generally, teams will convert a certain portion of the signing bonus to the player’s base salary, thus reducing his cap hit in the first year. The second year’s signing bonus converts into a fully guaranteed contract in mid-March. In general, the Rams will convert the $18 million base salary to a signing bonus and spread it out over four years, meaning that Donald will get $4.5 million per year.
The Rams’ biggest need is to create cap space. A restructuring of Woods’ contract would create around $20 million in cap space for the Rams. By restructuring, the Rams would save $16 million this year while avoiding losing a key player in the process. In addition, Dallas would gain $12 to $42 million in cap space and avoid having to cut another player in the process.
Offseason roster purge
If you aren’t a fan of the NFL, you may not be aware of the fact that NFL teams are required to pay out the contracts of players they cut in offseason roster purges. These players’ contracts are considered guaranteed money, and they must be paid by the team. However, teams rarely cut players before they have paid out their guaranteed money. In fact, most players have already received their guaranteed money when they were released, and the rest of the contract just disappears.
The Raiders, for instance, have plenty of cap space but have few contracts to cut. They could release Terrelle Pryor, who has a sub-$1 million cap hit, which would allow them to clear $8 million of cap space. The Eagles, on the other hand, are in a salary cap crisis. They could release tight end Mike Casey, who is due to count $6.25 million against the cap in 2014.
The Philadelphia Eagles, on the other hand, had a similar situation prior to the 2019 season. They traded for Desean Jackson and signed Brandon Graham and Malik Jackson, but they had to restructure their contracts to add void years to the players’ deals. Thankfully, the team has a plan in place to make it work. If this sounds like a painful process for you, try renegotiating your contracts with players with little or no dead cap money.
The 49ers have another example. In late March, they were just $456 under the cap, which is not enough to build a championship team. They also cut veteran quarterback Steve Bono and longtime kicker Mike Cofer. They also cut backup running back Amp Lee, linebacker Keith DeLong, and guard Guy McIntyre, who won three Super Bowl rings with the 49ers.