I'm opening an topic to discuss the expiration of the current CFL/CFLPA CBA, the ongoing negotiations and, hopefully, the quick announcement of a new CBA. 

Here's a link to the components of the existing CBA: CFL/CFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, which expires the day before the 2019 training camp starts.. 

 

What does the CFL like about the current agreement? What don't they like?

What does the CFLPA like about the current agreement? What don't they like? 

What would you like or dislike about the current agreement? 

 

Presumably the new agreement will include language around the expansion team in Halifax and potential games in Mexico and Mexican players. 

Also, I expect to see an increase to the cap but how much? 

1 minute ago, TBURGESS said:

CFL stars are making more than the AAFL is paying. I doubt we lose (m)any of our stars to them.

No, they pay $250k USD. Only our QBs are making more is my understanding. 

1 minute ago, Colin Unger said:

Not convinced that start players would make more there. Star players in the CFL get paid pretty good and they can make money off the whole CFL season.. I believe that by the time a CFL player becomes a free agent on Feb 15 they've already lost out on a significant portion of the AAF salary.  So they are looking at maybe making 50-70k in the aaf and a star player in the CFL can typically command above 150k. 

But we're talking about the CBA, so this is future years. If I'm the CFLPA, why not push a January release date?

3 minutes ago, JCon said:

No, they pay $250k USD. Only our QBs are making more is my understanding. 

That's over the course of 3 years.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24076702/alliance-american-football-players-get-3-year-250k-contracts

1 hour ago, Eternal optimist said:

I am in favor of compensation for fans.

Plus a premium for every decade a fan goes without a cup win.

2 minutes ago, JCon said:

But we're talking about the CBA, so this is future years. If I'm the CFLPA, why not push a January release date?

I don't see the league going for that especially in an era where half the league is a free agent every year.

Just now, NorthernSkunk said:

Plus a premium for every decade a fan goes without a cup win.

The compensation was getting the Jets back

1 minute ago, Colin Unger said:

The compensation was getting the Jets back

Bad deal because it doesn't guarantee any cup wins. 😃

19 minutes ago, Colin Unger said:

That's over the course of 3 years.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24076702/alliance-american-football-players-get-3-year-250k-contracts

Ah! I misunderstood. Well, that changes everything. 

20 minutes ago, JCon said:

Ah! I misunderstood. Well, that changes everything. 

We might have to re-discuss everything we've discussed over the past month or so lol!   No worries bro!  I make mistake like that all the time.

5 minutes ago, Colin Unger said:

We might have to re-discuss everything we've discussed over the past month or so lol!   No worries bro!  I make mistake like that all the time.

If you're a rookie, who thinks they belong in the NFL (and who doesn't?), then the AAFL is a good option. But, if you're established, a few years in, then the CFL is the way to go for $. 

1 minute ago, JCon said:

If you're a rookie, who thinks they belong in the NFL (and who doesn't?), then the AAFL is a good option. But, if you're established, a few years in, then the CFL is the way to go for $. 

Yeah.. The real issue is going to be in attracting good young players or players who want to bounce right back to the NFL.  If you'd a midseason NFL cut why not make 100k in the AAF and then bounce right back to the NFL.  To sign in the CFL you have to miss an nfl season. The real threat to me though is the XFL.  It sounds like their long term plans are to play with a wider field like in the CFL.  That could really cut into the talent who comes up here because they don't fit the NFL mold but fit well with the wide cfl field. The fast short guys like Brandon Banks.

51 minutes ago, Colin Unger said:

Yeah.. The real issue is going to be in attracting good young players or players who want to bounce right back to the NFL.  If you'd a midseason NFL cut why not make 100k in the AAF and then bounce right back to the NFL.  To sign in the CFL you have to miss an nfl season. The real threat to me though is the XFL.  It sounds like their long term plans are to play with a wider field like in the CFL.  That could really cut into the talent who comes up here because they don't fit the NFL mold but fit well with the wide cfl field. The fast short guys like Brandon Banks.

Even if one of these leagues were to make a go of it for a couple of years, there's no way multiple leagues survive. 

I am not sure that expansion can happen and have any increase to the salary cap.  Expansion will add an entire roster to league costs and no extra TV money until the current deal with TSN expires - unless the current deal includes an escalator for a new team in the Maritimes.  TSN will increase viewership from that area for sure, so it might be in the agreement already.

Even without that, where is the additional money going to come from to pay a higher salary cap?  Except for Saskatchewan, Edmonton, (maybe) Calgary and Winnipeg, who else can afford to keep less of their revenue?  The CFL is not owned by a group of billionaires, unlike all the major North American professional leagues.

And, guaranteed contracts will not happen.  Sign a star player for 3 years and then he goes down with a torn achilles (for example).  For the next couple of years, you have no money to sign a replacement and have to live with rookies, or maybe even go into games with a shorter roster.  Fans would rebel.

There might be language in TSN deal that gives a bump in the fees if a new team comes in. They will have a extra games to broadcast and will get more revenue.

12 hours ago, Tracker said:

Ryckman did that to a lot of Calgary businesses and people.

Ryckman was interviewed a few years ago.  He said he has no intention of ever paying Flutie.  He actually acted like the money he owned Doug was a joke, What a low life snake.

13 hours ago, NorthernSkunk said:

Plus a premium for every decade a fan goes without a cup win.

There'd be a lot of wealthy Bomber fans then...

IIRC the previous "franchise" player situation was called the "Marquee" player.   It was a bust that drove up costs for clubs without any real overall benefit.   The difficulty was that every team felt that they needed to designate one guy as their marquee player, otherwise their fan base would assume that their club wasn't competing.   

I'd rather see them bump up the minimum so that the journeymen players get better rewards for their pain and efforts.   

Personally, I'm not overly worried about the XFL and the AAFL.    I've seen too many various attempts south of the border, and they've all gone bust.  I just don't see them attracting crowds at the gate nor significant TV following.

I wonder if the 2 sides are even negotiating?

1 hour ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I wonder if the 2 sides are even negotiating?

See: https://www.tsn.ca/cfl-pa-to-begin-cba-talks-in-the-new-year-1.1231995

Yep, figured so.  Just mosey on slowly, take a month off & then ease into negotiations at a snail's pace while Rome burns around these idiots. Imagine if Banting & Best had the same attitude about priorities that these guys do. They'd have died long ago without discovering insulin. Ambrosie is more worried about finding a place on every roster for some Mexican players then coming to an agreement on a new CBA in time that the season isn't totally screwed up with all the FA's that need to be signed. 

I don’t understand why any new clauses they negotiate couldn’t be retroactive. Then everyone could proceed with FA business as usual. 

2 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Yep, figured so.  Just mosey on slowly, take a month off & then ease into negotiations at a snail's pace while Rome burns around these idiots. Imagine if Banting & Best had the same attitude about priorities that these guys do. They'd have died long ago without discovering insulin. Ambrosie is more worried about finding a place on every roster for some Mexican players then coming to an agreement on a new CBA in time that the season isn't totally screwed up with all the FA's that need to be signed. 

I guess you did not read article. They have been meeting monthly for a while now. Going to,start formal discussions next month. 

1 hour ago, Jpan85 said:

I guess you did not read article. They have been meeting monthly for a while now. Going to,start formal discussions next month. 

 

"Going to start formal discussions next month". Why didn't they start this month? 

Edited December 28, 20187 yr by SpeedFlex27

1 hour ago, Mark H. said:

I don’t understand why any new clauses they negotiate couldn’t be retroactive. Then everyone could proceed with FA business as usual. 

I've never seen a league so poorly run. Everything is in chaos. 

30 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I've never seen a league so poorly run. Everything is in chaos. 

There would need to be a retroactive clause in the current CBA.