You win a few, you lose a few. For the NFL Players Association, the latter is piling up. In 2022, the union went against the NFL and the owners for colluding against the players. But a three-person panel ruled in favor of the league, claiming insufficient evidence. The union appealed the same for the third time in January this year, with the league already having lost two battles in this war.

First, it was proven that the NFL had indeed asked the team owners to reduce the fully guaranteed contracts after Deshaun Watson’s five-year, $230 million 2022 deal with the Cleveland Browns. Second, with arbitrator Christopher F. Droney finding that the union did have a reasonable basis for going against the NFL, the league’s push for roughly $14 million reimbursement was rejected.
Many findings suggested the NFL could lose the final battle. But the panel has sided with its original finding once again.

“For reasons stated… we deny the appeal of the grievance by the NFLPA,” the appeals panel of Richard J. Howell, Martin F. Scheinman, and James R. Spencer wrote in a 15-page ruling that was obtained on Friday. The next obvious question is, what’s next?

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• Any players – including Lamar Jackson & Russell Wilson, who were initially denied – looking to sign a fully guaranteed contract like Watson have an advantage. If they were forced to sign a different contract other than the one they were looking for, the team may face financial consequences.
• The league lost over $14 million in attorney’s fees and other costs due to this four-year case. The owners will now split this amount, which will come to about $437,500 per owner.
• The league might see increasing demands for fully guaranteed contracts, especially for core players.

“We cannot fathom these sophisticated businesspeople did not comprehend they were being encouraged to limit or reduce guaranteed contracts,” the Panel wrote in its ruling.

“Accordingly, the Panel concludes that the NFLPA has established by a clear preponderance of the evidence (1) that the NFL encouraged and invited Clubs to take steps to reduce salary guarantees and bonuses at the March meeting, and (2) that the Clubs necessarily heard and understood the plain meaning of the message they received.”

From a contract standpoint, the impact is visible.

Lamar Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million deal with $185 million guaranteed. Kyler Murray agreed to a five-year, $230.5 million contract with $160 million guaranteed, but is no longer with his team. Russell Wilson signed a five-year, $245 million deal and has also moved on from the Denver Broncos. None of those deals matched the fully guaranteed structure given to Deshaun Watson by the Browns. Meanwhile, the league can be happy about the small win.

“We are pleased with the panel’s decision to reaffirm the dismissal of the case, bringing to an end three years of litigation,” an NFL spokesperson summarized the league’s position.

The NFLPA’s appeal of its 2022 collusion case involving Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson was denied by a three-member panel in a 15-page ruling. https://t.co/NHPRCouU9N

At the same time, JC Tretter expressed frustration with the outcome.

“While we are disappointed by the ruling, this outcome does not erase the clear and important findings in regards to the NFL’s collusive behavior.”

The NFLPA may have lost, but it did successfully dent the NFL’s image by proving how it wanted the teams not to agree to fully guaranteed deals. The teams did not pay heed to that request, though, keeping the owners safe.

How did the league get stuck in this situation?

In a March 2022 meeting, the NFL urged teams to reduce fully guaranteed contracts. This was the result of Watson’s deal with the Browns. Soon after, the then-NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith alleged that the league and its clubs colluded to limit fully guaranteed contracts for players such as Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray.

The NFLPA took it to court, but with a lack of evidence, the case was ruled in favor of the league.

“While the NFL Management Council encouraged 32 member clubs of the NFL to reduce guarantees in future contracts with players at the March 2022 annual meeting of the Club owners, the Clubs did not join in such a collusive agreement and did not act in accordance with one as to the three quarterbacks named in the initial arbitration demand or to the veteran players. Accordingly, I dismiss the arbitration demand of the NFLPA in its entirety.”

The union still held its right to appeal the case again. And it did.

The January 2025 process brought additional scrutiny. Then-executive director Lloyd Howell faced criticism for agreeing to keep the findings confidential from players. Reports indicated that the league and senior NFLPA leadership entered into an unusual agreement that limited disclosure of arbitration details, including communications involving Roger Goodell and the league. But here’s the glitch…

The NFLPA only filed the case about a collusion between the league and the team owners, and not simply the league’s request. As such, there was one question remaining:

“The critical issue, then, is whether some or all of the Clubs gave adherence to the NFL’s proposal and thereby participated in a collusive scheme.”

The answer was a simple no.

Looking ahead, the broader implication shifts toward labor negotiations. With the panel reaffirming both the league’s encouragement and the lack of proven coordination, the dynamic between the union and the league could carry into future Collective Bargaining Agreement discussions.