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Report: Players balk at NFL’s escrow proposal

Field Level Media

July 08, 2020 at 1:08 am.

NFL players have balked at the league’s proposal that 35 percent of player salaries be held in escrow during the 2020 season, NFL Network reported Tuesday.

Per the report, the league proposed to escrow salaries “to help manage costs” amid the uncertainty and expected revenue disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. However, the NFL Players Association holds that any escrow deal must be collectively bargained.

Union executive Don Davis told players on a conference call, according to NFL Network, “Basically, we told them to kick rocks.”

Seattle Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs chimed in publicly, retweeting the report and commenting, “Sh– nah i want all my chicken! Don’t hold sh– of mine!”

Several agents also dismissed the NFL’s proposal publicly.

A significant decrease in revenues could have major salary cap implications in 2021, perhaps causing the cap to fall instead of the increases that have become the norm. Previous reports have said the NFL and union have discussed possible moves to ensure a smoother cap, potentially borrowing from future revenues, including the expected boom once the league signs new television deals.

Meanwhile, Pro Football Talk reported the sides agreed Tuesday on team travel protocols for training camp and the preseason, including requirements for traveling by plane or bus, how hotels and food service are handled, and much more. Per the report, a team’s traveling party will be limited to include no more than 110 non-players, and all members must wear masks.

The report said that the protocols document “implies strongly” that there will be a preseason, but added that the length of the preseason is still being discussed.

The NFL has already said the preseason would be cut to two games, but the union has recommended that it should be canceled entirely, removing any risk for games that don’t count in the standings.

Training camps are scheduled to open in the last week in July, with rookies and quarterbacks potentially reporting the week before.