NFL players approved a new Collective Bargaining Agreement by a 1,019-959 margin on Sunday, but Broncos kicker and NFLPA player rep Brandon McManus was not one of the “yes” votes.
In fact, McManus voted no on the player-rep vote, which passed 17-14-1.
“I thought we didn’t get exactly enough for the added game, the 17th game,” McManus explained on The Zach Gelb Show. “Obviously I see a lot of good things in this deal for a high percentage of the players in our league. It’s just, to me, we didn’t get enough. That’s where I was hung up on.”
The new CBA will increase minimum salaries and reduce the number of preseason games from four to three, among other changes. It also includes $2 billion for pensions for current and former players.
Still, McManus believes the players should have demanded more from a safety standpoint.
“The 17th game will become a new norm in our league,” he said. “How can we create a new norm in the offseason? How can we help our players recover from the previous season and then get our players ready for the next season – whether it’s changing Phase 1, Phase 2, OTAs and everything – to make it better for our players? Phase 1 is just us running and lifting at our facilities and everyone [feels] hoopla because football is back, but we’re really not doing anything yet. It’s just a gradual thing. With the discussions we have about concussions and CTE over the past couple years, I just thought we could have pushed them a little bit more on the player-safety realm.”
While McManus voted against the CBA, he is not surprised it passed.
“Even though I was a close no, I envisioned it as a close yes vote, which it was with the 60-vote difference,” he said. “You have to understand the body of the league. It’s a younger league. It always will be. I don’t blame them for voting yes because it benefits them. I understand that in a day where we have to all take care of ourselves and our families. But as the union rep, my job was to understand the whole deal and try to explain it to our whole team. In my mind, it just wasn’t perfect enough. But I respect everybody. We went through the whole democratic process and put everything we could in this deal. Obviously we have to move forward with the deal and get ready for some football for another 10 years.”