Three years ago, it was smooth sailing for DeMaurice Smith when he unanimously won re-election with no competition for his job as executive director of the NFL Players Association.

That won’t be the case this year when at least four contenders for the position will attempt to convince the 32 player reps that they can do a better job leading the union.

NFLPA president Eric Winston has communicated the platforms of the quartet to all the reps, each of whom had to receive nominations from three player reps to get on the ballot.

The most serious appears to be former NFL defensive tackle Sean Gilbert, who has been very public in his opposition to Smith. Gilbert promises to file a collusion case against the league, wants the 2011 collective bargaining agreement drastically changed, and also favors an 18-game schedule, something a large majority of the players have been against.

The other three current candidates are Detroit-area attorney James Acho, sports and labor attorney Andrew Smith and former Navy Admiral John Stufflebeem.

There has also been speculation that attorney David Cornwell might throw his hat in the ring, but he hasn’t commented. Smith won out over Cornwell and former players Troy Vincent and Trace Armstrong when he first was elected in 2009. Any other candidates must submit their player-rep support by March 5, 10 days prior to the election at the union annual meeting in Hawaii.

While Gilbert has been relentless in talking to hundreds of players and agents since the beginning of the 2013 season, it still appears to be a longshot that he can win.

The others face even longer odds. Smith believes his experience representing numerous players in legal matters qualifies him for the job. Acho’s main goal is gaining medical benefits for players until the age of 65 and he was instrumental in formulating the “88 Plan” that provides benefits for former players with dementia.

Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal recently said Acho could be a “gadfly candidate,” and noted that he “is out front about a few things going in — including that he knows little about the collective bargaining agreement” that was negotiated after the 2011 lockout.

Acho also admitted he supports most of what Smith has done in his six years on the job, while adding, “Quite frankly, I think there’s only one area that’s been neglected and that is long-term health care for players.”

Stufflebeem told Sports Business Journal his approach is mostly to build “a positive working relationship between the NFL and the NFLPA, based on mutual respect. I don’t think that exists today. I think it will be a lot more constructive to build on the current CBA in a positive way, rather than to blow it up.”

During Super Bowl week, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, said he believes the relationship between the league, union and players isn’t as bad as some make it out to be.

“I think it’s a working relationship. I think you’re not going to win every battle, you’re not going to agree on everything,” Sherman said. “But I think there is a respect level between the NFL and the NFLPA, and that’s all you can really ask for in this situation. Obviously, they have certain things – their agenda – they want to accomplish and we have certain things that we want to get done for our guys. So at the end of the day, you really have two sides going against each other that have great respect for one another, but also have their own things they need to accomplish. Anytime you have a conflict of interest in that regard – conflicts – you’re going to have disagreements. But I think there’s a tremendous amount of respect.”

While Smith hasn’t commented on the challenge to his job, at the NFLPA press conference during Super Bowl week, he emphasized the positive gains the players have made under the current CBA, many that don’t generate headlines.

Smith said “the salary cap is one small part of the agreement,” noting the significant change there has been in mandatory cash spending by teams and substantial increases in player benefits.

One bone of contention is the recently implemented personal conduct policy by the league, over which the union has filed a grievance for 10 parts of it they contend should have been collectively bargained. While there has been some criticism that the players weren’t able to remove commissioner Roger Goodell from the disciplinary process in the 10-year 2011 agreement, Smith was effectively making his case for keeping his job when he said, “We were locked out. Did we get everything was wanted? No, we didn’t. Did the league get everything they wanted? No, they didn’t.

“But our leadership fought and achieved monumental changes. We made the game safer. We protected our share of revenue. And we helped players that went before us. I have no regrets.”

While Winston has said he will remain neutral and won’t necessarily favor Smith, during Super Bowl week he said, “The agreement in 2011 should be preserved. As players, we’re the ones that have to set the course.”

It would be a surprise if that course is led by anyone other than Smith for the next three years.