NFLPA President Eric Winston Says He Thinks CBA Proposal 'Would Pass by a Lot'

The proposed NFL collective bargaining agreement has polarized players, with the NFLPA executive committee voting 6-5 against recommending the proposal before a close 17-14 (with one abstention) vote by player reps led to the proposal being sent to the union for a formal vote.

Despite the close votes and some public objections from high-profile players, NFLPA President Eric Winston said he believes the proposal will have no trouble passing.

"I would think it would pass. I would think it would pass by a lot. It's important that we let the process play out and important that all players understand the issues and vote their conscience," Winston told Peter King of NBC Sports.

Players have until 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday to submit their votes. If a majority of players vote in favor of the proposal, it would go into effect immediately because the owners already passed the CBA.

Several prominent players have spoken out against the proposal, with most citing the addition of a 17th regular-season game as their biggest contention. While the CBA would attempt to counteract the additional game by eliminating a preseason game and reducing offseason workouts, some have expressed concern about player safety.

Aaron Rodgers voted against the proposal, saying he doesn't believe ownership made enough concessions to justify an additional game. However, he told ESPN Wisconsin's Wilde & Tausch he does not believe many players are doing their due diligence researching the CBA's fine points:

"That's probably the most disheartening thing. This is a society we live in now that's so distracted by the swiping world of apps and social media. I don't know. Do guys really care about this stuff? Unfortunately, or fortunately, however you look at it, for the people wanting to push this deal through so badly that's kind of a win because nobody's critically looking at this or thinking about it. They're just like, 'Oh, what's my salary going to be? Oh, OK, cool.' Not like, 'Are we taking care of former players? What kind of additional player risks are we taking on? What are we getting in return for that?'"

Player reps tend to be higher-profile players who are in a more stable financial situation. Winston's prediction that the CBA will pass likely comes from the fact that rank-and-file players are more affected by labor unrest, and there are far more of those players than stars voting.

As King noted, around $300 million in player pensions will be lost if there is no new CBA by the beginning of the 2020 season. Minimum-contract players would lose around $90,000 apiece.