WASHINGTON — NFL players have started voting on the league"s new 10-year contract offer, a deal that includes expanded playoffs and likely another regular-season game, the NFL Players Association said Thursday. Voting will remain open until just before midnight next Thursday, giving the union time to approve the plan before the NFL launches its 2020 campaign with the start of free agency on March 18. NFL team owners approved the new CBA offer last month, a deal that if approved would start some changes in time for the 2020 campaign, the last year under the current agreement, while others would begin in 2021, when the extension would begin, and run through the 2030 season. After a meeting last week to teak parts of the deal, the NFLPA board of representatives voted to send the 456-page proposal to the full membership for a vote. "The NFLPA has sent out official ballots to every NFL player who was a dues paying member in the 2019 season to cast their vote on a new collective bargaining agreement," the NFLPA said in a statement. "As outlined in our constitution, ratification of a new deal is subject to approval by a majority of our members who vote. "Player ballots will be confidential and will be received by an independent auditor to ensure the integrity of the process. We encourage every NFL player to review the full collective bargaining agreement and exercise their democratic right to vote." Several star players have spoken out against the proposal, including Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Houston defensive end J.J. Watt. "Hard no on that proposed CBA," Watt tweeted last month when details of the plan were announced. The NFL proposal would add two playoff teams, and two extra post-season games, starting with the 2020 playoffs if ratified. Only the teams with the best record in each conference would be awarded first-round byes, not the top two. The deal would give the NFL the option to add a 17th regular-season game to the schedule as soon as the 2021 campaign, something they are all-but certain to do in order to boost broadcast rights fees. Players would stand to make a larger percentage of total NFL revenues by adding the extra game, above 48% during the deal, but many players have said they do not want the extra toll upon their bodies at any price. "For a player that doesn"t want 17 under any reason, those players will vote their conscience," NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said last week at workouts for likely NFL Draft picks in Indianapolis. Players would likely split more than $70 million from about $150 million in extra revenue from the two playoff game alone, according to the NFLPA. Minimum NFL salaries would jump from $510,000 to $610,000 this year and rise for the life of the deal to $1.06 million by 2030. Active game-day rosters would jump from 46 to 48 players with extra practice squad talent allowed as well, so more NFL player jobs would be added. The deal would limit the league to no more than 10 international games in any season through 2025. — AFP