Feb 29, 2020 5 min read

INDIANAPOLIS – It appears that, sometime in the next couple of weeks, NFL players will approve a new CBA that will include a number of changes to how the league conducts its business.

The most obvious thing will be the addition of a 17th game, which won’t go into effect in 2020, but could happen as soon as 2021.

That has ticked off a lot of the star players around the league, including Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, who posted an expletive-filled tirade about the proposal regarding the CBA on social media earlier this week.

But the general feeling among league circles is that, despite its outspoken critics, this CBA will be passed. Why? It’s all about the money.

Minimum salaries in this deal would increase by $90,000 in 2020 and would continue to rise throughout the length of the deal until they reach $1 million in 2030, the final year of the deal.

That’s significant for most players. About 60 percent of the players in the league are playing on a minimum salary deal that is tied into how many years of experience they have.

The star players are the ones who are complaining about this deal. But it’s the rest of the roster that will be the ones who benefit the most.

If you’re a guy who is only going to get two or three years in the league before you’re replaced, then why wouldn’t you want to maximize your earnings?

• The league also said this week its 2020 salary cap is expected to be around $200 million, up from $188.2 million last year.

But, that number could change dramatically if this new CBA is approved. If that happens, sources say the cap could rise to as much as $230 million in 2020 because of new TV deals that would factor in the eventual implementation of the 17th game and a 14-team playoff system.

The NFL doesn’t need approval from the players to go to a 14-team playoff, with seven teams from each conference making it to the postseason. Expect that to happen in 2020 regardless of whether the CBA is approved or not.

Under that system, the Steelers would have made the playoffs every year for the past 10 seasons and would have missed the playoffs in the Ben Roethlisberger era only once, in 2009.

• The Steelers, who are currently right at the NFL salary cap of $200 million, would gladly take the additional cap space the new CBA would bring.

They could use that money to sign outside linebacker Bud Dupree and make a run at signing nose tackle Javon Hargrave without having to release or restructure the contracts of several players to make that happen.

But Hargrave is likely going to want – and get – big money as a pass-rushing defensive tackle on the open market, so the more likely move for the Steelers will be to use the extra money to sign free-agent offensive lineman B.J. Finney.

Guard Ramon Foster will likely be released, and signing Finney would give the Steelers their starter, or at least a potential starter, at left guard.

• Colbert said last week he was surprised to see Roethlisberger throwing a football in a video put out by the Steelers’ Twitter account last weekend.

Roethlisberger went to Los Angeles to visit with the doctor who performed his elbow surgery and the expectation was that Roethlisberger would begin throwing tennis or Nerf balls. That Roethlisberger was given the OK to toss a football was a pleasant surprise to Colbert.

But, as Colbert noted, the idea isn’t for Roethlisberger to rush back.

“We want to have Ben ready for Game 1, whenever that is,” Colbert said. “A guy like Ben, you might have to hold him back if he’s a little too aggressive. That’s something the docs will figure out.”

The Steelers aren’t going to rush Roethlisberger back from this elbow injury, even if that means he doesn’t play in any of the five preseason games.

• Five preseason games?

Yep. The Steelers have been informed by the NFL that they will be playing in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio. The only reason it hasn’t been announced yet is because the NFL hasn’t figured out who it wants the Steelers to play.

Because this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be split into two days, with the modern era players and the five members of the Centennial Class who are in the coach/contributor category going in Aug. 8, with the 10-player Centennial Class being inducted Sept. 18, it’s going to be interesting to see how the league handles it.

For the Steelers, that means Troy Polamalu and Bill Cowher will be inducted Aug. 8, with Donnie Shell going in on Sept. 18.

The NFL wants to do something to make that Sept. 18 induction special. But it has to figure out the logistics of how to do that.

• The Pirates have started spring training by going winless in the first week.

Yes, it’s only spring training, so it doesn’t really matter. But it’s not a great way to create a lot of buzz about the team. At least not the kind of buzz the Pirates were hoping for.