UFL, players finally reach deal on new CBA

The UFL and its union had been trying — and failing — to craft a new labor deal. With the players not inclined to strike, it became harder to get a deal done.

With nearly a third of the 2025 season in the books, an agreement has been reached.

Via Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, a two-year deal was ratified on Thursday. The players will receive both more money and year-round health insurance.

The pay increase is essentially 5.1 percent; salary increases from $55,000 to $62,005 for 2025, but a $4,000 housing stipend has been eliminated. Next year, pay will increase to $64,000.

The challenge was to get fair treatment for the players at a time when the league is still trying to find its financial footing, and when the players had no appetite to walk out.

“What we were asking for wasn’t to put this league in any sort of existential threat,” Michigan Panthers quarterback Danny Etling said, per Fischer. “We were always aware of that, and we tried to make very fair offers, very rational offers."

Other new terms include a limit of two padded practice per week, a formal disciplinary process, three team-provided meals on game days, and flexibility to choose their own cleats.