UFL ratifies new CBA; deal runs through 2026 season - ESPN

The UFL has approved a new collective bargaining agreement with the United Football Players Association, the league announced Monday, finalizing a deal that players ratified last month.

The deal is retroactive to the start of training camp, which opened March 2, and will extend through the end of the 2026 season.

The new CBA includes an annual raise of $7,005 on minimum salaries, from $55,000 to $62,005 for players who participate in all 10 regular-season games, and makes all players eligible for year-round health care, according to a fact sheet produced by the UFPA when it approved the deal. The minimum salary for 2026 will be $64,000. Part of the pay raise is a reallocation of a previous $400 per month housing stipend.

Among the structural changes in the new UFL CBA:

• Annual raise of $7,005 on players' minimum salary

• Makes all players eligible for year-round health care

• Team roster size increase from 42 players to 43 during the regular season and 58 to 64 during training camp

• Player bonuses of $500 for player of the week awards, $5,000 for players of the year, $7,500 for league MVP and $5,000 for players that win the UFL championship

• Process for player grievances

• Maximum of two padded practices per week

• Agreement that players can wear preferred cleats

• Creation of labor management committee that will meet three times per year

Other changes to the CBA include expanded roster sizes and a process to handle player grievances.

«I think this is a reflection of the fact that the UFL and the UFPA ultimately wanted to come together to reach a sustainable deal that will ensure that spring football will be here to stay,» Harry Marino, president of Sports Solidarity and the UFPA's lead negotiator for the CBA, said in