With the XFL returning in 2020, there is potentially good news on the horizon. According to multiple sources, it looks like the NFL may be headed towards a strike or a lockout in 2021. If this does happen, it will occur between the XFL’s first and second season, which could garner them some much needed attention from scorned NFL fans.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports there is language in the contracts of new coaches that indicate teams are preparing for a work stoppage in 2021.
In coaching contracts negotiated in the past week, teams are addressing how much each coach would make — or lose — in the event of a work stoppage, according to sources,” Schefter wrote. “Teams are trying to protect themselves and save money in the event of missed time, using different percentages for amounts of the football season that could be missed in 2021.”
The NFLPA has been hinting for a while now that players should prepare for a strike. There are plenty of huge items on the table that will be fought over, including the amount of guarantees in contracts, cannabis as a banned substance, and just how much power commissioner Roger Goodell should have over the players when it comes to seemingly arbitrary discipline.
Schefter notes that his source “thought both teams and coaches are confident that there will be some type of disruption” and noted the language that’s showing up in coach’s contracts will likely start showing up in new player deals this coming spring as well.
