NFL Players Association executive director JC Tretter says a new Collective Bargaining Agreement within the next year is “extremely unlikely,” pointing to the current deal running for five seasons and to the heavy internal work required to build consensus amon
The NFL Players Association isn’t treating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement like it’s something that can be scheduled on short notice.
On Thursday’s edition of The Rich Eisen Show. NFLPA executive director JC Tretter pushed back on the idea that the union could negotiate a new deal within the next year. “I would say extremely unlikely. ” Tretter said. grounding his timeline in what he described as the realities of listening. organizing. and negotiating a document that runs through clause after clause.
The current CBA covers the next five seasons. and the NFLPA can’t be forced to act until that agreement expires. Tretter framed that leverage as time itself. He also acknowledged the league’s interest in getting a new deal in place sooner rather than later—but made the union’s position clear: if the NFL wants movement now. it has to be worth the effort.
Tretter explained that his first job is making sure he understands what the union’s members want because, as he put it, it is a “membership-ran institution.” He described the time-consuming groundwork required before any real bargaining conversation could even begin.
“I became president during COVID. which I think taught me to really view things in foreseeable chunks of time. ” Tretter said. He then described his own start dates, saying he was elected in March and started April 1st. He said he will not be able to fully take stock of member priorities until throughout the season. as he visits all 32 teams.
That listening period, he said, isn’t just a courtesy step. It has to feed into decision-making bodies inside the NFLPA. “So there’s nothing that could be done until I talk to my guys and make sure I understand what they want and what they’re looking for. ” Tretter said. He added that it also has to be possible to get everyone on the same page during that time frame. calling it a difficult ask.
“My first step is getting out and talking to all 2. 500 members and making sure I understand what they care about. ” Tretter said. From there. he described a process that includes staff work. bringing information to the executive committee. and then to the board of player representatives—along with making sure those groups understand “the trade-offs” and what negotiations would involve.
That is where his argument against a fast turnaround hardened. Tretter said there is “a ton of work to be done before a conversation could even start happening. ” and he emphasized that the CBA isn’t a short document. “This is a 500-plus-page document of clause after clause after clause that would need to be negotiated. ” he said. adding that it would be a “very heavy lift” on a one-year timeline.
Even if the league were to present what Tretter described as a great offer, he suggested the union still wouldn’t treat speed as a win. He pointed to the five-year agreement the NFLPA already has, saying there is no urgency built into the union’s situation.
“We have an agreement for the next five years, so I don’t even think we’re thinking of, ‘Well, how fast could we get this done?’” Tretter said. “It’s, ‘Do we want to even have a conversation if that’s what’s going to be slid across the table to us?’”
He also said the union is operating under the current deal and is “happy with and … OK with” it, which he said lowers the motivation to rush. That point fed into his broader message about labor conflict.
On the question of whether a work stoppage could be on the horizon, Tretter called the idea premature. “I think we’re still so far away from that,” he said. He acknowledged how quickly the conversation has started on the league side. noting that “it’s because the league is interested in doing something” and that the league “has been clear about that.” But he argued the calendar still leaves a wide gap.
Tretter said the NFLPA is “still five years away from this time,” calling it “so much time” that it spans “over a life cycle of a player, on average.” He said that length matters when thinking about strike, lockout, or work stoppage scenarios.
Though he said the union will always plan for those outcomes. he insisted the NFLPA is not “diving into” them right now. “That’s not just something that we’re really like diving into right now. just because we are so far into a deal with so much more runway to go before that would ever happen. ” Tretter said. “I don’t think anybody should be concerned, because we have five more years of football guaranteed.”.
The union, then, will continue to wait — but Tretter also left room for a difficult trade-off. He said that an opportunity to get a better deal could be lost. and that the challenge would be picking “the right time” to accept the terms the NFL would impose with a lockout in order to secure extra benefits by agreeing to do it early.
JC Tretter NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement CBA NFL lockout work stoppage NFLPA executive director
So basically they’re saying “nope” to a new CBA for a year? Cool cool.
I feel like the players could just vote and be done with it. Like why does it take all year? If the league wants a deal, shouldn’t both sides just meet in the middle?
He said extremely unlikely, but also said they’re visiting all 32 teams during the season?? That sounds like they *are* planning. Unless this is just PR so owners can’t blame them later. And the current deal runs 5 seasons, so I’m confused why anyone thought “next year” was realistic.
Rich Eisen always asks the same questions lol. But wait, he became president during COVID and started April 1st… are we sure this isn’t about internal politics more than the actual contract stuff? Like “listening” for months sounds good but it also kinda delays everything. If the NFL wants movement now, they should just give them what they want and sign.