NFL Lockout: Owners’ Proposal Details Post-Lockout Schedule

The owners approved a proposal to send to the players in an effort to reach an agreement on a new labor deal and end the NFL lockout. The owners proposal has been sent to the players. NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith will be conducting a conference call with some players on Thursday night but it’s not yet known if they’ll vote on the proposal (and even if they do vote, it’s no guarantee it passes).

The owners’ released details of what the NFL schedule would look like over the next week if the players accepted their deal.

July 23: Team facilities open and players are permitted in to work out and meet with the coaches. These are voluntary until the first day of training camp.

July 23: Teams can start signing their own free agents, rookies, restricted free agents and franchise players.

July 23: At 2:00 p.m. (ET), teams can negotiate with -- but not sign -- undrafted free agents, other teams’ unrestricted free agents, restricted free agents and franchise players. This is an interesting wrinkle that they can negotiation but not sign the players.

July 24: Teams can start signing those undrafted free agents.

July 27: The league year starts at 2:00 p.m. (ET) -- if the NFLPA has recertified and ratified the CBA. Most people know this day as the start of free agency. After four days of negotiating but not signing, it’ll be interesting to see how quickly the market moves.

July 27: Rosters expand to 90 players. This was 80 players in previous years.

July 27: Surprise: training camps are open for every team. Players would have physicals on day one and no pads would be allowed until day four.

From there, the rest of the preseason schedule -- minus the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 7 -- would go on as planned. The regular season as well wouldn’t be affected.