Football fans could be in for a rude awakening after the 2020 season.

According to Bleacher Report, NFLPA executive director, DeMaurice Smith has sent out a memo to the players’ agents giving them a heads up on the matter. Smith’s email talked about “advising players to plan for a work stoppage of at least a year in length” which echoes his past comments on a potential lockout. Just a few years back Smith told The Monday Morning Quarterback’s Albert Breer that a lockout before the 2021 season is “almost a virtual certainty.” 

The NFLPA and the NFL have reportedly begun negotiations over the collective bargaining agreement but there is no indication that either side is close to agreeing upon an extension.