An 18 regular season NFL game with two less preseason games? Sign me up!
Former NFL defensive linemen Sean Gilbert, who plans to make a run for NFLPA executive director, seems to be gaining some great ground with his new plan. According to ESPN, during his press release on Monday, Gilbert introduced some changes that might make him a favorite to win the new spot. The 22 point plan included some of the following changes:
• A $1 million minimum salary
• Reducing rookie contracts to three years, with renegotiation allowed after one
• Free agency after three years
• Removing commissioner Roger Goodell from his role as “judge, jury and executioners on matters of players’ discipline”
• Roster size increasing from 53 to 57
• 100 percent cash spending of the annual salary cap
• A contract dissolution benefit that awards players 10 percent of nonguaranteed money lost after early termination of a contract.
Current executive director DeMaurice Smith doesn’t think players will go for the new proposed plan by Gilbert:
“It’s not my decision to make,” he said. “If someone thinks that it’s better for them to play 18 games then I know there’s a healthy number of football players playing right now who would say, ‘go ahead and you play 18 games.'”
Gilbert is aiming pretty high with his plans for the NFL but you can’t deny that it doesn’t seem enticing to some players who would love to get those extra spots on the team and the increase in pay. DeMaurice Smith contract is set to end in 2015, it will be interesting to see who garners the most support. With health concerns on the rise for NFL players, can their body handle an 18 game schedule?