NFLPA’s DeMaurice Smith says work stoppage in 2021 is ‘almost a virtual certainty’

DeMaurice Smith thinks a lockout or strike is almost definitely on the way in 2021. He’s right.

The 10-year collective bargaining agreement signed between the NFL and NFL Players Association in 2011 is reaching its final years and there isn’t much optimism that a new one will be agreed upon without a labor fight.

“I think that the likelihood of either a strike or a lockout in 2021 is almost a virtual certainty,” NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said in an interview with Sports Illustrated posted Thursday.

That’s far from surprising news, but with just three more seasons until the impending labor fight, the two sides are already digging in their heels and looking prepared for a battle.

In May, NFLPA executive George Atallah told SiriusXM NFL Radio that there have already been efforts to prepare players for a work stoppage, and that the lack of preparation for players in 2011 forced the union’s hand in negotiations.

The suspension of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has also given both the NFL and NFLPA a chance to draw a line in the sand. The two sides traded insults over Twitter on Wednesday with the NFL calling the NFLPA “shameful” for victim blaming, and the NFLPA responding by saying the NFL was “stooping to new lows” with the accusations.

Smith’s belief that the negotiation of a new CBA will likely force a work stoppage is more common sense than a prophecy.