2011 NFL Lockout Negotiations 1
2011 NFL Lockout
Quinton P. King
Negotiations
University of Cincinnati
NFL players and owners come to a new collective bargaining agreement after a
136-day long strike. NFL owners ultimately won under the new CBA but both
sides got what they wanted in the long run.
2011 NFL Lockout Negotiations
1. Violin, Ben “Now More Than Ever We Realize NFL Owners Won”2013
2. Staff, Pon “4 Negotiation Tactics Robert Kraft Used to End The NFL Lockout” 2017
3. Rische Patrick “Who Won The 2011 Lockout” 2011
4. McIntyre, Brian. “NFL Lockout And How We Got Here: Timeline To A New CBA.” SBNation.com
2
Abstract
Owners and players in the NFL were needing to meet and rehash the collective
bargaining agreement after the Super Bowl in hopes of avoiding a lockout in the following
season. The big issue was the newly proposed bargaining agreement was centered around the
amount of money that the owners wanted to take credit from the revenue pool. In the prior
agreement, owners took $1 billion from the pool of around $9 billion but now owners are trying
to increase that number to $2.4 billion. Their reason was that the economic realities of the era
were proof that they needed that big of an amount. As a result of this the players but get around
an 18% cut in revenue which clearly did not sit well. In the end the NFL owners were the clear
cut winners in the new agreement. Robert Kraft played a huge role in this, no matter who and
how you look at it the owners obliterated the NFL player’s association. With the new CBA in
effect the players such as rookies are being locked into unfavorable contracts. The NFLPA failed
the players in the new CBA. On the positive side the players have better post retirement benefits,
medical care, pensions, transition program and more under the new CBA. The owners used the
bad economy to cry poor, and then they took everything. 1
There were four negotiation tactics that Robert Kraft (owner of the New England
Patriots) used to end the NFL lockout. This paper will focus mainly on the owners and the
negotiating styles that they used to approach and ultimately win in implementing a new CBA.
Kraft used these four negotiation tactics to help the players and owners come to a “win–win”
situation. 1. Established relationships of trust. 2.Generate options for mutual gains. 3. Convince
your side to make concessions at key moments. 4. Negotiate for the long term. I will go into
2011 NFL Lockout Negotiations
1. Violin, Ben “Now More Than Ever We Realize NFL Owners Won”2013
2. Staff, Pon “4 Negotiation Tactics Robert Kraft Used to End The NFL Lockout” 2017
3. Rische Patrick “Who Won The 2011 Lockout” 2011
4. McIntyre, Brian. “NFL Lockout And How We Got Here: Timeline To A New CBA.” SBNation.com
3
these in more detail later in the paper on each negotiation style used by Kraft and the results that
followed.
2011 NFL Lockout
Not going into too much detail on the tactics used but instead I will choose one that was
the most important and go into more depth on that one. I think it is important to understand all of
the tactics used though.
1. Establishing relationships of trust.
“Kraft worked hard to develop personal relationships with his counterparts, including offering
DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, a ride on his private jet en
route to meetings. As a result, when he spoke, the players were more willing to listen to what he
had to say.” 2
2. Generate options for mutual gains.
Kraft encouraged owners and players to negotiate some of the more complex issues in
smaller negotiating sessions, without lawyers present. This allowed negotiators to be more
effective at finding mutually agreeable and beneficial solutions to some of the intractable points
in the contract.
3. Convince your side to make concessions at key moments.
One of the key issues in the negotiations was the rookie wage system. Kraft played a key role in
convincing the owners to make a concession on this point, so that the negotiations could move
forward, and agreement could be reached.
4. Negotiate for the long term.
2011 NFL Lockout Negotiations
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The NFL contract negotiations were successful, not only because an agreement was signed,
but because both sides were able to walk away feeling good about the final deal. A deal that was
a “win–win” situation for both sides, and the deal that would be beneficial in the future as well.
The success of the NFL 20111 NFL Lockout negotiation, and Robert Kraft’s vital role in
that success illustrates how negotiation strategies can be applied effectively within any industry
or field.
BATNA and Negotiation
Like in any union, the NFLPA tries to get the best working conditions, pay, and benefits
for its members. The NFLPA was very content with where they stood, but they did want a few
provisions regarding healthcare and player safety. The owners however did not believe that they
were receiving a fair percentage of league revenues and percentages of television revenues for
example. Once the union backed out of negotiations and it felt it had no other option to end the
