NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith Warns Agents to Plan for Work Stoppage

Rumblings about an NFL work stoppage have been percolating for months, and NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith has reportedly added a new wrinkle to the proceedings.

Per Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal, Smith sent an email to every NFL agent saying that the union is "advising players to plan for a work stoppage of at least a year in length" when the collective bargaining agreement ends after the 2020 season.

Just 100 days from the NFL's centennial season, the looming threat of a work stoppage continues to be a hot topic in league circles.

Smith told The MMQB's Albert Breer two years ago that a lockout before the 2021 season was "almost a virtual certainty."

ESPN.com's Adam Schefter reported in January that teams were using language in new coaches' contracts to protect themselves in the event of a work stoppage that impacts the 2021 campaign.

The NFLPA responded to that report on Twitter:

Players and agents have expressed their dislike of the NFL's current CBA, which was agreed upon in 2011.

"The NFLPA absolutely failed the NFL players," one unnamed agent told the Boston Globe's Ben Volin in 2013. "It's the worst CBA in professional sports history. It's pushing the veterans out of the game and cuts the rookie pay in half. How is that a good deal?"

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman told reporters last September a lockout is "going to happen."

Per ESPN.com's Dan Graziano, changes the NFLPA would like to see made in the CBA include an increased share of league revenue from the current 47 percent rate, obtaining greater guarantees in contracts and decreasing free-agent limitations (e.g., the franchise tag, fifth-year rookie options).

The NFL and NFLPA have started negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, though there's no indication the two sides are close to an extension.

As the CBA hovers over the league and players union, the 2019 season will begin Sept. 5 when the Green Bay Packers take on the Chicago Bears.