2011 Lockout

[MikeO]

Looks like the players won on that Lockout from a couple years back with the new numbers rolling in. The salary cap is now at $133 mill (in 2011 it was $120 mill) and expected to grow even more in the next couple years because of the wording in the CBA as it grows with league revenues. The players won the battle on not going to 18 games, but the NFL in its wisdom in 2015 (or 2017) will add 2 more playoff teams....meaning selling 2 NEW playoff games to another TV network, which will add to the NFL's revenues and in turn increase the Salary Cap for the players even more. Players got less practices, less hitting in practice, and no 2-a-day's. Not to mention they got the league to fork over $1 billion in additional benefits for retired players.

So, why did the owners lock them out again in 2011?! Aside from the rookie wage scale what did they exactly win by locking the players out? The answer is easy; they didn't win much!

[Sunstroke]

That rookie wage scale was a pretty big win for the owners, imo...

[MikeO]

That rookie wage scale was a pretty big win for the owners, imo...

The salary cap climbing at the rate its climbing every year offsets that and surpasses it. The players clearly won the battle on the money front and its not even close.  Now look NFL owners aren't going broke by any means but they made another bad deal and the lockout didn't work out for them like they had hoped.

[CF DolFan]

I'm with Stroke. I think having so much money tied up in hpeople who turned out to be busts were much more of an issue than paying people who are helping your team. Teams were handicapped tremendously by rookie contracts and the worse of a team you were the more money you had tied up in them because of the high picks.

[Sunstroke]

There were "victories" on both sides of the table, with the only people who actually lost were the rookies.

Teams were handicapped tremendously by rookie contracts and the worse of a team you were the more money you had tied up in them because of the high picks.

Yeah, I remember when you sometimes couldn't even trade a high first round pick because no one wanted to pay for it. Now, those high first round picks are like trade gold.

[MikeO]

They owners are paying more out in salaries now than they were before with the rookie wage scale. It's simple math people.  And with the wording in the CBA the salary cap will go past $150 mill within the next 2-3 years.

The owners messed up ....no way to spin it

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I think it was win-win.  Players got more cash total, owners got more freedom to pay those players that actually contribute and cut those who don't. 

And not everyone thinks the players won:  http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/27/sean-gilbert-has-plan-for-getting-players-out-of-cba/

[MikeO]

Sean Gilbert was a clown as a player and if he thinks he is going to lead the union he is a total fool and lost all of his marbles. And when the players see the salary cap jumping every year and soon to reach $150 mill....what player in their right mind would rock the boat and change direction?

If anything the owners will be trying to get out of this deal early, not the players.

And if you asked the owners today would they rather pay less money overall in salary but be stuck with a bum or two rookie possibly with a big contract or have this so called "freedom"....trust me they would all rather go back to paying less money and be more than happy to lose their "freedom" when it comes to the rookie wage scale

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Sean Gilbert was a clown as a player and if he thinks he is going to lead the union he is a total fool and lost all of his marbles. And when the players see the salary cap jumping every year and soon to reach $150 mill....what player in their right mind would rock the boat and change direction?

If anything the owners will be trying to get out of this deal early, not the players.

And if you asked the owners today would they rather pay less money overall in salary but be stuck with a bum or two rookie possibly with a big contract or have this so called "freedom"....trust me they would all rather go back to paying less money and be more than happy to lose their "freedom" when it comes to the rookie wage scale

yes, gilbert is a moron.

But the owners aren't complaining about the salary cap going up because the one way it goes up is by they making more money.  The salary cap increase doesn't represent money coming out of the owners pockets it means the NFL is making oodles and oodles more money than they did last year. 

It is kinda like the question would you want to have a tax bill of $5 million dollars a year?  My answer: of course, cause the only way my tax bill is ever going to be $5 million dollars is if I hit megabucks, and I want to hit megabucks. 

[MikeO]

 The salary cap increase doesn't represent money coming out of the owners pockets it means the NFL is making oodles and oodles more money than they did last year. 

Uh? Who's paying the players the tooth fairy? Of course its money coming out of the owners pocket. You have a very jaded way of looking at this. Yes more money is coming into the league overall but its not an even split where whatever come in is equal to the more going out to the players. The owners wanted to take the first $1 bill off the top before splitting up the pie with the players, they lost that in the lockout talks/CBA. They lost on the 18 game season. The reason they are playing more games overseas, adding 2 playoff teams, and moving Thursday games to a network is cause the owners didn't win in the CBA and need to "create ways" to increase revenue.  They aren't making these changes for the improvement of the game, they are all strict "MONEY GRABS." 

Either way the lockout backfired on the owners and the players came out on top that is very clear to most people.

[Sunstroke]

Either way the lockout backfired on the owners and the players came out on top that is very clear to most people.

At least it looks clear to you, which I'm sure is just as good as "most people."

[masterfins]

That rookie wage scale was a pretty big win for the owners, imo...

Agreed.  I also agree with Hoodie, in that the reason the salary cap has gone up is because the NFL is raping the networks and fans for more and more money, that's a win for both sides but I think it's a bigger gain for the owners.

[MikeO]

Agreed.  I also agree with Hoodie, in that the reason the salary cap has gone up is because the NFL is raping the networks and fans for more and more money, that's a win for both sides but I think it's a bigger gain for the owners.

Actually its not a bigger win for the owners, read how the CBA is set up and the pie is being split

[el diablo]

When players stop having to rework they're contracts, then I'll agree that they won.

[Spider-Dan]

They owners are paying more out in salaries now than they were before with the rookie wage scale.

But instead of spending that money on unknown rookies, they are spending it on players that have produced.

Yes more money is coming into the league overall but its not an even split where whatever come in is equal to the more going out to the players. The owners wanted to take the first $1 bill off the top before splitting up the pie with the players, they lost that in the lockout talks/CBA.

So instead of outright shafting the players, they are merely splitting the revenue at the predetermined ratios.  What a horrible deal for the owners!

The CBA specifically designates a percentage of the revenue to go to player salary, so how could the owners possibly be "getting screwed" by paying out that percentage they agreed to?  You're basically saying that although the league is taking in MUCH more revenue, the owners signed a "bad deal" because they have to give some of that extra money to the players.