NFL LOCKOUT UPDATE: New Deal is on the Horizon

is that there is an inherent winner/loser paradigm present in that construct…I’d prefer a win-win-win metaphor.

from Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of espn.com

PFT has July 21 as the date the players and owners wish for the agreement to be ratified— approved by 24 owners. So prior to that, the deal will be quasi agreed to, written, ect. It just so happens that on July 21, all owners will be in the same place. There exists some document specifying how teams will transition from lockout to under a new cba— in other words when free agency will start, when _ will start, how long _ will start, how long __ will last, ect. The only thing in danger of being missed is HOF game.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/11/report-league-players-targeting-july-21-ratification-of-deal/

Keep losses of camp/preseason games to a minimum and I’ll be very happy

or early the next week for the past 3 weeks from different “sources”. I’ll believe it’s almost done when Goodell and the NFLPA President(Smith maybe) come out and say it’s almost done or is done. Untill then, idc.

I’m currently staying under the radar till then.

From everything I’ve heard, a deal will be agreed upon before this week ends and ratified (set in stone) on July 21 by everyone involved (owners, players, and courts).

I think the few issues that are snagging everything are the length of rookie contracts owners are proposing in addition to a new caveat that a rookie can not renegotiate until 3 years have been played. The other hitch comes in deciding whose revenue some of the benefits will come out of.

It seems the owners want to take and not give. Everyone agrees on a rookie pay scale, but the owners want to keep the contract lengths the same, as well as restrict when a player can renegotiate. I have no problem with one or the other. Both are unacceptable. Players want all rookie contracts to be 3 years in length with a 4th year of RFA (when agreeing to pay scale). I think the solution is keep contracts the same for rounds 2-7 (which is 3 years, 4th restricted), but lower 1st round contracts from 5 years to 4 years and if you want to keep them from renegotiating until 3 years service, you don’t get to restrict them in year 5.

As for funding benefits for past players, I think both owners and players should contribute an equal % of their revenue to this cause.

Aside from all that, the only other thing I heard that should bear more discussion was “the (new) salary cap will include player benefits”. It is my understanding that in the past, player benefits (insurance, 401K, ect) did not count against the cap. If this change occurs, all that cap space us fans thought we had to play with in free agency gets drastically reduced. If the cap is indeed the assumed $141 million, the actual amount that goes to salaries will be closer to $126 million.

Last year almost every team didn’t pay benefits due to the expired CBA, and most teams spent around $100 million. Saints were top 5 spending at around $135 million— which is pretty close to what the cap would have been had there been one (I believe it was at around $126-128 M in 2009; it was supposed to jump to $135 in ’10 and $150 in ’11 if under old CBA).

From what I have heard, Taco Bell will deffinately give me gas in the morning…… Just let me know when the lock out is over. Pretty please!!! I can’t take anymore of these “what if” stories.

Dear Lord baby Jesus, lyin’ there in your ghost manger, just lookin’ at your Baby Einstein developmental videos, learnin’ ’bout shapes and colors, please let the lockout come to an end.