NFL to discuss developmental spring league in the offseason

The NFL could be inching closer to a developmental league that would allow young players additional time to work with coaches in the spring. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, NFL executive Troy Vincent has spent years researching and studying the possibility of the matter and is ready to present proposals in the offseason.

“We have some viable potential options that are ready to share with the Competition Committee, the Coaches Subcommittee and with some of our active and former players,” Vincent said, according to La Canfora. “Our goal is to create a platform that addresses the entire football community -- coaches, officials, front office personnel and players -- is essential to the long-term sustainability of our game.”

Vincent, the head of the NFL’s football operations, has worked with current NFL general managers Ryan Grigson and John Schneider, as well as former head coach Tom Coughlin, to design the proposals.

While Vincent did not offer specifics, La Canfora says the possibilities include “a spring league that would consist of players likely with three years’ or less experience” and “an in-season academy that would train a valuable talent base -- players not under contract who get workouts and jobs through the season -- that would run from final cuts until November.”

Unlike in the NBA, MLB, and NHL, there is no affiliated developmental or minor league for the NFL. With a chance to develop young talent and provide officials more time to work in the offseason, there’s reason to believe that the product on the field could improve for the NFL with a spring league.

The NFL previously invested time and money in NFL Europe, a spring league that operated between 1991 and 2007 but folded due to costs.

“We’ve reached a point where we really should be looking more at a developmental league, and I really expect that to begin here in the next year or so,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told La Canfora last year. “We lost a lot of money on the NFL Europe, but there were a lot of things the league did well and for all of those reasons -- coaches, officiating, players, quarterbacks in particular -- it’s something we really do need to be looking at and studying.”

However, there still are hurdles that stand between the league and implementing the idea. Per La Canfora, “a considerable per-team investment may be necessary” as would “substantial negotiations with the NFLPA.” The NFLPA has pushed for limiting practice time and offseason work, so it will be difficult to convince the players’ union that more work in the spring is beneficial.

The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires in 2020, so it’s possible that developmental ideas raised by Vincent could be part of the offseason negotiations for a new agreement.