The NFLPA has undergone its fair share of turmoil in recent years and as they're set to begin negotiations with the league over a potential 18-game schedule in the near future, the players' **** ociation needs to prepare itself for what could be the most consequential conversation the league has witnessed since the AFL-NFL merger.
An 18-game season would be a massive shift in the league's yearly schedule. The additional game would likely lead to the league increasing the amount of international games played per season, and this is a major topic, as the NFL and the NFLPA would have to make serious changes to their current collective bargaining agreement; it doesn't expire until March 2031.
Current NFLPA executive director JC Tretter is the first player to occupy the role since legendary guard and player advocate Gene Upshaw passed away in 2008. As Upshaw was a pillar for protecting players' rights, Tretter looks to do the same. Since taking over the role, he has stated that his job is to figure out what the players want, and to fight for those wishes.
In order to do so, Tretter visited with eight different organizations, including the Los Angeles Rams, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. The Rams are at the forefront of the NFL's plans to expand into the Pacific, hosting minicamp in Hawaii last season and they're set to kick off the season in Melbourne, Australia.
The other piece is information gathering, and that's underway in earnest. Tretter has already done visits with the Bills, Patriots, Ravens, Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Vikings and Rams, in conjunction with other parts of the job. He popped in with the Vikings, for example, when he was in Minnesota for the AFL-CIO national convention. He saw the Giants as part of a visit to see owner John Mara, who is the head of the NFL management council's executive committee. He visited the Eagles because they didn't have a voting rep at his election.
An 18-game season would be a massive shift in the league's yearly schedule. The additional game would likely lead to the league increasing the amount of international games played per season, and this is a major topic, as the NFL and the NFLPA would have to make serious changes to their current collective bargaining agreement; it doesn't expire until March 2031.
Current NFLPA executive director JC Tretter is the first player to occupy the role since legendary guard and player advocate Gene Upshaw passed away in 2008. As Upshaw was a pillar for protecting players' rights, Tretter looks to do the same. Since taking over the role, he has stated that his job is to figure out what the players want, and to fight for those wishes.
In order to do so, Tretter visited with eight different organizations, including the Los Angeles Rams, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. The Rams are at the forefront of the NFL's plans to expand into the Pacific, hosting minicamp in Hawaii last season and they're set to kick off the season in Melbourne, Australia.
The other piece is information gathering, and that's underway in earnest. Tretter has already done visits with the Bills, Patriots, Ravens, Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Vikings and Rams, in conjunction with other parts of the job. He popped in with the Vikings, for example, when he was in Minnesota for the AFL-CIO national convention. He saw the Giants as part of a visit to see owner John Mara, who is the head of the NFL management council's executive committee. He visited the Eagles because they didn't have a voting rep at his election.
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