The tremors for a potential work stoppage in the mighty NFL are starting to be felt with more force.

A shock came through the system when the Players Association recently sent out a “work stoppage guide” to its constituents, according to ESPN. The document laid out some parameters for the players with how to deal with a strike or lockout following the 2020 season, when the current collective bargaining agreement runs out.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has stated that the hope is to have a deal done before the start of this season — which leaves very little time. According to the report, little progress has been made, but both sides think that a stoppage is “unlikely.” From the perspective of the players’ union, it sent out the document in line with its philosophy to “negotiate for the best while preparing for the worst.”

There is quite a bit of gray area with what will be allowed if there is a stoppage, the most recent one coming when the players were locked out in 2011 that didn’t result in any games being lost. (The league hasn’t lost a game since 1987.) But one thing the union wanted to be sure of was that players know how to manage their money in the event that the paychecks stop coming.

Some of the more interesting suggestions include:

– Save half of every paycheck, if not more.

– Cook more meals at home.

– Find renters for unoccupied rooms in your house.

– Consider selling old clothes online.

The biggest issue between the two sides is the current split of revenue. The players’ contracts are not required to have any guaranteed money in the most physically dangerous of all the major sports, and they currently cannot get less than 47 percent of all revenue in a given year. They want that figure to go up. Meanwhile, the owners, who make an unbelievable amount of money on the league and just signed Goodell to a contract extension through 2023 that could be worth up to $200 million, presumably think the system is working just fine.

It’s possible that the sides come together next week for a formal negotiating session, while the regular-season opener is Thursday, Sept. 5.