Falcons’ C Alex Mack named new NFLPA treasurer

The National Football League Players Association, also known as the NFLPA has elected Atlanta Falcons’ center Alex Mack as their next treasurer.

The Board of Player Representatives saw Mack as fit for the position, and he’s now the second highest-ranking player in the union. CBA negotiations have dominated the news so far in 2020, and with a deadline for the player vote on the agreement looming and many issues to consider even if the agreement does pass, the NFLPA Treasurer is an important position. Mack will be replacing former New York Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich, who was elected to the position in 2018. The position itself deals with the financial side of the NFLPA’s core business, including player contracts.

Another center was elected to an important position, as Cleveland Browns’ J.C. Tretter was elected NFLPA President, and will replace former Cincinatti Bengals’ offensive tackle Eric Winston, who was elected in 2014.

There’s been a lot of talk this offseason about whether the Falcons would consider moving on from Mack, as 2020 will be the final year of his 5-year, $45 million contract that he signed in 2016. He’s due a base salary of $8 million next season and a prorated signing bonus of $2.55 million, or in total — a combined cap hit of $10.5 million. If the cash-strapped Falcons were to cut Mack after June 1st, they’d net a cap savings of $8 million in 2020.

The problem of moving on from Mack, aside from losing a valuable leader in the locker room, is the Falcons really have no replacement. Although Wes Schweitzer looked solid in limited action, giving up only 1 sack and 1 quarterback pressure during in 114 of 120 preseason snaps came at center in 2019 — he’s a soon-to-be free agent.

That’s a question for a little over a week from now, though. For the moment, congratulations to Mack on his new leadership position, and hopefully he’s ready to help lead players through what could be a rocky transition between this current CBA and whatever follows.