A 17th game which “no one wanted.” A proposed 50-50 split of revenue which is not happening. And a process and final product, and player representatives were apparently not as involved in creating it as much they felt they deserved to be.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the team’s representative for the National Football League Players Association, shared much of that reasoning and more on why he does not agree with the proposed collective bargaining agreement which the NFL’s players are voting on.
“When you know what your value is, you don’t (vote for) less than you’re worth,” said Rodgers on ESPN Wisconsin’s Wilde And Tausch show.
“I don’t feel like this is a negotiation that the players can look at and, when I’m done playing, (I can) say ‘Man, I’m so glad this is what we decided on.’ “
Rodgers expressed that the plan for a 17th regular season game was never something players really wanted – yet when the negotiation was done for the deal..there it was.
“No one wanted 17 games. During the negotiations, 17 games got in there,” said Rodgers.
“By the time I was involved…there wasn’t any movement within the owners for 17 games.”
Rodgers said in the interview that much of the negotiation was “fear-based” with concerns about the possibility of a strike if a deal is not ratified. He also criticized how the 17th game salary would strictly be a 6.7 percent increase of the player’s base minimum salary, not necessarily their whole contract.
“Then you factor in the highest tax bracket, and you talk about less than $30,000 by my quick calculation in adjusted money,” said Rodgers. “Is that what your value is worth against a deal that might not set everybody else up down the line to be in a better situation?”
My thoughts. # pic.twitter.com/VOmCSNiI4f
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) February 26, 2020
Rodgers also felt he was underestimated when it came time for his turn in the later part of negotiations in recent weeks as the Packers’ player representative.
“My involvement was more under the show pony guys, bring in the guy with the name who’s going to be in the room. I don’t think they realized my ability to speak in those environments and what I really was passionate about,” said Rodgers.
“The point I was trying to make in that meeting…tell me what I can go back and tell my veteran players, what are we getting in return for that 17th game? It just wasn’t substantial.”
He also felt that the push to get the vote done quickly is hampering players’ ability to truly discern the nuances of a deal that includes hundreds of pages of content within it.
“We just haven’t had a chance to look at this critically. It’s kind of been pushed through, pushed through, pushed through.”
“Understand what you’re signing, what this means for the future of this game. I’d like to hit the pause button, but I’m not sure that’s even a possibility,” he said.
Will this deal finally be ratified by the players? Rodgers is unsure.
“I don’t know. I really don’t…I think it’s going to be a close vote.”