NFL will consider a rule change allowing draft pick trades up to 5 years in the future

The Cleveland Browns are proposing a rule change that would allow NFL teams to trade draft picks five years into the future instead of three.

The league announced on Wednesday that only two teams submitted proposals that will be considered by owners at the league meetings later this month with the other coming from the Pittsburgh Steelers about contacting players during the free agent negotiating period.

NFL executive Troy Vincent said last month at the scouting combine that no team had submitted a proposal to ban the tush push after Green Bay's proposed rule change was narrowly defeated last year. There were no other on-field rule changes proposed by teams this year, although the competition committee will announce next week its proposed rule changes.

Any changes need to be approved by at least 24 of the 32 teams.

The most significant proposal came from the Browns, who are trying to extend how far into the future teams can trade draft picks. Current rules only allow teams to trade draft picks up to three years into the future, compared to a seven-year window in the NBA.

A new crop of general managers has led to more trades in recent years and this rule change would make that easier in the future. There have already been six first-round picks from this year's draft that have been traded with the latest coming earlier this week when Denver sent its first rounder to Miami for receiver Jaylen Waddle.

The Browns argued that the changes would lead to a more active trade market and greater roster flexibility.

The NFL allowed teams this year on a trial basis to conduct up to five phone or video calls directly with players on other teams during the two-day free agent negotiating period before the start of the league year. Teams previously had only been able to contact agents during that time.

The Steelers are asking for that rule to be permanent, as well as allowing teams to make travel arrangements before the start of the league year with players who have agreed to terms for new contracts during the negotiating period.

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FILE - A football with the NFL shield logo rests on the turf during the second half of an NFL wild card playoff football game between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers, Jan. 11, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper, File)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced a major Cabinet shake-up Wednesday with the appointment of a new defense minister to replace Gen. Vladimir Padrino López, who had been a cornerstone of the military’s long-standing support for former President Nicolás Maduro.

Rodríguez announced the transition on her Telegram channel, saying the appointment of Gen. Gustavo González López to the role was effective immediately. She also thanked Padrino López for his “loyalty to the Homeland” and expressed confidence in his future roles.

The announcement comes more than 10 weeks after Rodríguez became acting head of state following the Jan. 3 U.S. military operation that captured Maduro to put him on trial in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges.

The Trump administration has since ramped up pressure on the Maduro loyalists currently governing the oil-rich nation.

González López has an extensive intelligence background and faced U.S. sanctions for his role in cracking down on 2014 street protests. Since Jan. 6, when Rodríguez reshuffled her security detail, he has served as commander general of the presidential honor guard and head of the military’s feared counterintelligence agency.

Padrino López was one of the longest-serving Cabinet ministers after Maduro took office in 2013 and one the country's longest-serving defense ministers following his appointment in 2014.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Venezuela's Defense Minister Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez waits for the World Classic Baseball trophy a day after their team's victory over the United States in the championship match, at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, left, and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez attend a government-organized civic-military march in Caracas, Venezuela, Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)