Pro Football Rumors
J.C. Tretter is in the early stages of reshaping the NFLPA’s leadership group. That process – along with communication with all 32 teams – is currently a higher priority than beginning serious talks with the NFL on a new collective bargaining agreement.
“Right now, there’s just no timeline for when we would be ready,” Tretter said in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “And I’m not going to let an artificial timeline dictate that because in the end we do have a deal for another five years. So we have runway.”
Indeed, the current CBA runs through 2030. That leaves plenty of time for Tretter and the NFLPA to speak with members and reach alignment on the union’s top priorities. The NFL’s goals with respect to an 18-game schedule and an expanded slate of international contests are well known. Until more communication with the NFLPA’s members takes place, though, formal talks on the matter of extra games in particular are not expected to commence.
“I think my focus has to be on a clean process, where in the end, I, this organization, the executive committee, the board are going to be judged on the success of that negotiation whenever we have it,” Tretter added. “And my hope is we have some clarity on that after I visit every team and talk to them. It may still be very separate. And then I need to go back out and talk through it more. But we can’t really move forward until we know where our guys stand, because in the end, they’re the ones this is all about, they’re the decision-makers.”
Tretter – who was a key figure in the NFLPA during much of his eight-year playing career – resigned from the organization last summer. Turbulence has been commonplace during recent years, but he returned as the NFLPA’s new executive director in March. The 35-year-old has already met with a number of teams, a process which will continue through training camp and into the regular season.
Once there is more clarity as it pertains to the players’ key sticking points (issues related to travel, revenue share, playing surfaces and a second bye week), it will be interesting to see when formal talks with the NFL begin. As things stand, however, traction on the CBA front should not be expected for the foreseeable future.
