NFL Rumors: NFLPA to Vote on 17-Game Schedule in New CBA Contract

The NFL Players Association is reportedly set to meet after Super Bowl LIV and vote on whether they will accept the addition of a 17th regular-season game as part of the new collective bargaining agreement.

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter, the NFLPA executive board and NFLPA representatives from all 32 teams will meet at an undisclosed location to review the proposed 10-year CBA.

The decision will reportedly come down to whether the players want to "accept the one thing they hate, a 17-game season, in exchange for 10 or more things they want."

Per Mortensen and Schefter, player representatives met Thursday and were "just about unanimous" in their opposition to a 17-game season, but they reportedly became more receptive after hearing some of the player benefits included in the proposal.

Among the player perks listed in the proposed CBA are a near elimination of punishment for players who test positive for marijuana, a change in the way on-field discipline fines are handled and an increase in benefits for former players.

The players would also receive around 48 percent of the revenue annually, and if the CBA is agreed upon before the new league year in March, that split will begin during the 2020 season even though a 17th regular-season game wouldn't be added until 2021.

Several players were asked about the possibility of a 17th regular-season game at the Pro Bowl last week, and Jacksonville Jaguars player rep Calais Campbell expressed his belief that it would be a tough sell to the players, according to ESPN's Michael DiRocco and Jenna Laine:

"When I talk to the guys, I don't think many people want to do it. Really, you talk to guys and I don't think anybody wants to do it. It's going to be very, very tough. I know the ownership's really hard on it. We're definitely talking, trying to figure out what we need to do, how we can make this thing work. It's going to be a process, but 17 [games], that's very tough."

Mortensen and Schefter noted that the window "is closing" on a deal getting done since the owners are willing to play out the remainder of the current CBA if the players don't agree soon.

If that happens, then a lockout following the 2020 season is possible.