Jaguars’ RB Leonard Fournette on Reportedly Proposed CBA: ‘I Disagree With the 17 Games’
With the NFL currently in the midst of eventful labor discussions as the league's owners and players union attempts to come to agreements on a new collective bargaining agreement, some players are letting their thoughts known on a few reported scenarios.
One big point of contention amongst players when it comes to current reported details of the CBA owners are playing for is the push for a 17th regular season game, an increase from the 16 games players have become accustomed to since it was increased from 14 games in 1978.
Many players, such as Emmanuel Sanders and Richard Sherman, have already voiced their own opposition to a 17th game. Now, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette is letting his voice, tweeting Thursday, "I disagree with the 17 games."
A 17th regular season game would mean one preseason game would be eliminated, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. This means there would still be only 20 games during a season, but 17 of those would now have serious ramifications as opposed to only 16. The scenario to add an extra game seems to be purely owner-driven as of now, with players skeptical about both the impacts on their bodies as well as revenue sharing.
In addition to adding a regular-season game and shortening the preseason to three games, the new CBA proposal from owners would expand the playoff field from 12 teams to 14 teams in 2020, giving only one team from each conference a bye. No change has been made to the number of teams eligible to make the playoffs since the postseason was expanded to 12 teams in 1990.
It is currently undetermined how the 17-game proposal would impact the home and away game splits and what it would mean for teams like the Jaguars who play neutral site games in London.
