Report: Some NFL owners hoping CBA vote fails

It’s no secret that NFL players are quite publicly divided about the benefits and drawbacks of the league’s proposed collective bargaining agreement. In a certain sense, so are the owners.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, some owners are privately hoping the players’ CBA vote fails because they believe they can get a better deal in a year.

Coming up on @SportsCenter shortly: A number of NFL owners are hoping the current CBA proposal doesn’t pass next week because they believe they can negotiate a better deal next year, potentially with a push for an 18-game season in the future, a league source told ESPN.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 7, 2020

Owners have their eyes on broadcast negotiations as well, which may mean far more to them than the finer points of this CBA. Given how publicly unhappy some players are over the current proposal, it is certainly a risky stance to take. If the players don’t like a 17 game season, 18 would be an incredibly tough sell. Fundamentally, though, it’s out of the hands of owners and down to the players at this point.