49ers' Richard Sherman Pushes Back on Newly Proposed CBA
The new collective bargaining agreement has been causing quite the ruckus from players all across the league.
One of those players is 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman who, like many, has taken to social media to voice their push back against the new CBA.
Sherman quoted a tweet from Texans defensive end J.J. Watt by reinforcing his take. Sherman and Watt are two of the most tenured NFL players and arguably one of the most respected. What they say carries a lot of weight among the rest of the players in the league.
If the new CBA were to come to fruition, then the players would have to play a 17-game season. There will also be an added playoff team to both conferences bringing the total to 14 playoff teams and six Wild Card teams.
The added strain on the players with a longer season is major reason why Sherman and others are so heavily against the new CBA. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is the lone example of how strenuous a 17-game season would be on a player. He was traded at the trade deadline and didn't get a chance to take a bye due to the 49ers already having theirs.
“If the NFL wants to change the season to 17 games they should ask me, and I say no." Said Sanders, "Because my body was hurting and I needed that break.”
Another reason for the push back is that the income for these added games does not benefit the players as great as you might think. On the surface, adding another game would mean more money right? Well there is more money on the way, but it doesn't have anywhere near the same value.
If a player on a team makes that Wild Card round, then they will not be making nearly as much as a regular season game. The pay will need to rise in order for these players to even consider accepting this new structure that is being created.
The NFL owners already accepted the negotiated terms of a new collective bargaining agreement Thursday, so now it is on the players to answer back on this. To approve the proposal, a two-thirds majority vote of the NFL's 32 player representatives is required. That is why in Sherman's tweet he mentions "communicate with your team rep".
How negotiations of the new CBA progresses will carry much intrigue, especially with the NFL altering it's format.
