The NFL and NFLPA at one point took a media vow of silence regarding the current negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. It worked for several weeks as we barely heard from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell or NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith.
NFL Lockout: CBA Negotiations Continue Amid Talk Of 18-Game Season, Rookie Wage Scale
These days, though, plenty of leaks are getting out. Here are a few stories that have been floating around lately:
-The two sides are reportedly are under $700 million apart in negotiations on how to distribute the over $9 billion in revenue. They started at $1 billion so this represents some progress. The union doesn’t want to give up any more money without seeing more financial information from the league.
-Smith said publicly that they will not do the 18-game schedule. It’s not clear if the issue is completely off the table, despite Smith’s statements. Everything is negotiable, as they say, and I imagine the players have a price for the 18-game season.
-The two sides also reportedly agreed on a basic structure for a rookie wage scale limiting the amount of money that wil go to rookie signings. Some reports have suggested the two sides haven’t agreed completely on this but it appears they’re on their way to some sort of rookie wage scale.
We’re over 24 hours away from the expiration of the current CBA. The current deal will either expire, be extended (again) or the two sides will come to an agreement. The latter doesn’t seem likely at this point.
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