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NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero has been right in tune with the NFL and NFL Players Association talks as they have gone on as the league tries to get the 2020 season underway.
Despite it seeming like an agreement could be imminent over the past few days, Pelissero posted a troubling update in a series of tweets on Thursday.
As you read, keep in mind the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, who are scheduled to begin the NFL season with their opening-night game on Thursday, September 10, are tracking three days ahead of everyone else.
Currently, Chiefs and Texans rookies are scheduled to begin strength and conditioning training on Sunday, but that might not happen, according to Pelissero. The league and NFLPA have yet to agree upon how to deal with what has been commonly described as a “projected multibillion-dollar” revenue shortfall.
While no one has set a deadline to account for a projected multibillion-dollar revenue shortfall, NFL owners want to finalize a deal with the NFLPA before Sunday, when #Chiefs and #Texans rookies are scheduled to begin strength and conditioning, sources say.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 23, 2020
The NFLPA wants to spread the financial hit through 2030, rather than taking it now. And even a $10 million reduction in the 2020 salary cap would be “too much” at this stage, one GM said. Rosters are largely set. Many teams would be scrambling to free up money somewhere.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 23, 2020
With no schedule agreed upon, the NFL could tell teams to continue virtual work indefinitely, as we saw all offseason.
The Chiefs had to be creative with their salary cap in order to make the moves they did this offseason — agreeing to terms with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and defensive tackle Chris Jones. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach joked about how the team is on a budget this morning. A late 2020 and 2021 salary-cap slash would thus not be the greatest news for Kansas City.
We will keep you updated.