2025-2026 NFL Season Thread

[Tony208]

Idiot fans siding with billionaire owners against the players is one of the dumbest things I've seen.

[Moviefan1203]

Prime time Combine is so much fun! I love NFL!

[dcowboy7]

Originally Posted by Tony208

Idiot fans siding with billionaire owners against the players is one of the dumbest things I've seen.

Cause players are on the losing side.
Players come & go yet the team goes on.
Staubach aikman romo dak brady .
Like deion said you root for the shirt.

[Moviefan1203]

Originally Posted by Tony208

Idiot fans siding with billionaire owners against the players is one of the dumbest things I've seen.

My loyalties are with my team more than the individual players. I certainly appreciate what the players do, but it’s the team that drives my passion.

There seems to be a pretty significant difference of opinion between the top 10% paid NFL players and the rest of them regarding the proposed CBA.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

My loyalties are with my team more than the individual players. I certainly appreciate what the players do, but it’s the team that drives my passion.

There seems to be a pretty significant difference of opinion between the top 10% paid NFL players and the rest of them regarding the proposed CBA.

So 10% of the players can hold up the deal even if 90% of them like the CBA?

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by Tony208

Idiot fans siding with billionaire owners against the players is one of the dumbest things I've seen.

Players don’t even know what they want half the time. Their average shelf life is about 5yrs. Owners are around for decades.
If the players dig in, I hope the owners lock them out. If players are so worried about risk of injury go find employment elsewhere. They should have a college degree, so prospects should be good.
Miners, bridge workers, hi rise construction workers, police, front line military all make significantly less with much more risk. Maybe they should all hold out too?
There’s greed on both sides of the bargaining table, but owners will always have the edge...as it should be.
Again if a player or players don’t like it, pool your resources and raise several billion to buy your own team. Then they can give all their players whatever they want. But until that happens, these are the rules of the game of life.

[rickah88]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

So 10% of the players can hold up the deal even if 90% of them like the CBA?

Nope. A majority vote by the few thousand players could pass the proposed CBA.

[BizCat]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Players don’t even know what they want half the time. Their average shelf life is about 5yrs. Owners are around for decades.
If the players dig in, I hope the owners lock them out. If players are so worried about risk of injury go find employment elsewhere. They should have a college degree, so prospects should be good.
Miners, bridge workers, hi rise construction workers, police, front line military all make significantly less with much more risk. Maybe they should all hold out too?
There’s greed on both sides of the bargaining table, but owners will always have the edge...as it should be.
Again if a player or players don’t like it, pool your resources and raise several billion to buy your own team. Then they can give all their players whatever they want. But until that happens, these are the rules of the game of life.

Not sure what the world is coming to, Rick, but this is spot on.

[Bigdog]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Players don’t even know what they want half the time. Their average shelf life is about 5yrs. Owners are around for decades.
If the players dig in, I hope the owners lock them out. If players are so worried about risk of injury go find employment elsewhere. They should have a college degree, so prospects should be good.
Miners, bridge workers, hi rise construction workers, police, front line military all make significantly less with much more risk. Maybe they should all hold out too?
There’s greed on both sides of the bargaining table, but owners will always have the edge...as it should be.
Again if a player or players don’t like it, pool your resources and raise several billion to buy your own team. Then they can give all their players whatever they want. But until that happens, these are the rules of the game of life.

Well said Rick, I'm never going to feel sorry or bad for people who get paid millions and millions of dollars to play a game for 4 months out of the year.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Nope. A majority vote by the few thousand players could pass the proposed CBA.

That's what I thought, so I'm confused as to what's holding things up. If the most powerful players are overruled by the majority, then it is what it is.

[Tony208]

These players got their priorities all wrong, focusing on things like weed instead of health care after retirement SMH. No wonder they always get hosed in CBA negotiations.

[dcowboy7]

ESPN Jeff Darlington -- “I’m now at the point where I would be stunned if Tom Brady went back to New England.”

Thatd be awesome cause it creates 2 storylines -- how does brady do with the new team & how does NE do without.

[Moviefan1203]

Sounds like one side is trying to make the other panic.

[Erzengel]

Hasn't the not necessarily hidden but not necessarily overly broadcasted that Bellichick wants Brady out but Kraft want him to stay?

[Bigdog]

Originally Posted by dcowboy7

ESPN Jeff Darlington -- “I’m now at the point where I would be stunned if Tom Brady went back to New England.”

Thatd be awesome cause it creates 2 storylines -- how does brady do with the new team & how does NE do without.

I hate seeing it end this way but I have been saying it for months now that he is long gone imo. I think it's a mutual choice here with both Brady and Patriot management wanting to go in opposite directions. My only question here is Brady clearly showed a disinterest with working with young receivers, sorry Harry is not any pro bowler but he cant catch balls 5 feet over his head or down at his shoe laces and many passes to him were in those spots. And when he failed to make those circus type catches, Brady would just put that player on ignore for most of the game if not all of the game. He will need to change that and imo is a large factor as to why the patriots seem willing to let him walk.

Brady will need to go to a team with established wr's or the ability for the team to sign free agents ones, also that o-line will have to be top notch because Brady is one of the most immobile qb's in the league and a 43 year old taking shots is not a good recipe for success. And the coaching staff will have to tailor their playbook to his liking because lol if the think they are going to make an old dog learn new tricks.

I wish him well with what ever team he decided to go to, I still hold out some sliver of hope but it looks pretty obvious that he is gone.

[rickah88]

I know the NFL is a business. I get that.
But...Tom Brady is a rarity. The dude won 6 Championships in 20yrs with a lot of that below market value, so as to keep the team competitive. Clearly that worked...very well.
With all that said, shouldn’t Kraft be repaying the favor and give the guy one more contract to(most likely) retire a Patriot? Tom took his leap of faith, now it’s Kraft’s turn.
Obviously I don’t know all the inner workings going on here, and I’m sure they are quite extensive. What happens if they let him walk under these circumstances? How does that look going forward. You just cheaped out on the greatest player the game has ever known. What does the next guy have to do? Win 10 championships in 12 years? Good luck with that.
I think Brady has earned the “Do Right By Him” deal. No matter how much it may impact the franchise over the life of the deal.

I have zero horse in the race, but would like to see Tom stay in New England and finish his amazing career there. But it’s just one of many “who blinks first” contests going on right now.

[BizCat]

I'd like for Tom to stay in NE, but part of me wants to see him win with someone else too.

[dcowboy7]

Originally Posted by Erzengel

Hasn't the not necessarily hidden but not necessarily overly broadcasted that Bellichick wants Brady out but Kraft want him to stay?

Yep that seems to be the gist.

[West E]

The Patriot way of success has been letting guys go once they lose “it” or once they’re up for a huge pay day.

It would be badass (but crazy) if this is how they drop Brady too.

[imsounoriginal]

I'm sure Brady and Belichick both wanna prove they can win without the other, but I still think Kraft finds a way to keep Brady in NE.