Both the NFL and the NFLPA have begun initial preliminary talks on the next collective bargaining agreement that will expire after the 2021 season. Goodell’s contract extension that was given in 2017 for five years will expire in 2022 and is expected to be his last as the leagues boss.
This is not uncharted waters. When former commissioner Paul Tagliabue walked away, he had just wrapped negotiations on a new CBA. That CBA led to an eventual work stoppage in 2011 when the current CBA was agreed upon.
While negotiations or rather discussions have begun, the NFLPA sent a letter to each of the players telling them to start putting money away in the case of a work stoppage but this time around the players and the league may come together quicker on key points that both have lobbied for in the past.