NFL Notes:

• Everson Griffen voided the remaining years on his Vikings contract, thereby immediately entering free agency.  
  • He was able to do so because he hit some contract benchmarks for sack and percentage of snaps played.
    • It frees up $13 million in cap space for the Vikings, but also allows them to renegotiate his contract.
  • He did make $10 million in 2018 and $7.5 million in 2019.

• Apparently, personally transporting 157 pounds of the Mary Jane is still against the law.
  • This is the lesson learned by Browns OL Greg Robinson, who was pulled over outside of El Paso, Texas with said amount in his rental van.
    • Although still technically a Brown, he won’t be after the new league year starts on March 18, as the Browns indicated they wouldn’t be re-signing him.
  • Not helping the “personal use” argument?
    • Vacuum sealed.
    • Packaged for sale.
    • Scales.

The big story is the possible ratification of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement

• Highlighted by the inevitable addition of a third wildcard team to each playoff chase, meaning that only the #1 seed will receive a bye into the Divisional Round.
  • No change has been made to the number of teams eligible to make the postseason since the playoffs were expanded to 12 teams in 1990.
    • For example, in the last ten years, under this new proposed format, the Steelers would have had four extra playoff appearances.
  • One factor which weighed into the players’ decision to support this is that bye-week players will now get paid.
    • Under the old system, the players on teams with byes did not get paid because they didn’t play.
• The NFL Owners met Thursday to be briefed on this issue the CBA talks which are framing the debate. They apparently reviewed & agreed to the terms, so now the ball’s in the union’s court.
• Also rumoured:
  • The addition by 2022 of a 17th regular season game to the schedule.
    • The addition of which would shorten the preseason from four games to three.
    • My guess is that they still start the season the week after Labor Day, to avoid complications with their farm teams the NCAA.
  • An increase in minimum league salaries.
    • Current rookie minimum: $510,000; new proposed minimum: $640,000.
      • A 25% increase.
    • Levels would be changed up to & including the 10-year veteran minimum.
      • Scheduled to be $1.045 million in 2020 ,and would rise to roughly $1.3 million in the new CBA.

To steal from RockingDog – found a funny:

“Want a Shasta?”

“Does it taste like Coke?”

“It tastes more like a cross between RC and poverty.” pic.twitter.com/yFyJ6yJ0Zf

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) February 18, 2020

Tonight’s sports:

• NHL: (all Canadian games are regional broadcast only)
  • Flyers at Blue Jackets – 7:00PM | Sportsnet
  • Lightning at Vegas – 10:00PM | Sportsnet
• NBA:
  • Nets at 76ers – 8:00PM | TNT / Sportsnet1
  • Rockets at Golden State Warriors – 10:30PM | TNT / Sportsnet1
• NCAA:
  • Ohio State at Iowa – 7:00PM | ESPN
  • Connecticut at Temple – 7:00PM | ESPN2
  • Michigan State at Nebraska – 8:30PM | FS1
  • Oregon at Arizona State – 9:00PM | ESPN
  • Southern California at Colorado – 9:00PM | ESPN2
  • UCLA at Utah – 10:30PM | FS1

That’s it for me. Seamus has you tomorrow night, and hopefully I’ll have something ready for the weekend. I’ll be back live on Monday to discuss the NHL trade deadline.