Judge Susan Nelson lifted the NFL lockout on Monday, but left us with more questions than we have answers. We know the lockout is, technically, over, at least for now. We also know the NFL will request a stay in an effort to keep the lockout in place, though the time-frame for a ruling on the request is yet unknown. It could be a day or it could be a week, but the NFL is working to immediately delay a final decision while seeking the stay. Add it all up and we have the possibility of a Wild West situation in the NFL.
NFL Lockout Ruling Could Create Wild West Situation
After the jump, what we know, what we don’t and how the NFL could become the Wild West.
The timing of the ruling couldn’t be worse for the NFL. The 2011 NFL Draft is on Thursday and without a clear set of rules, anything could happen. With the lockout in place, teams would not have been able to trade players on draft day and would have only been allowed to trade picks for picks. But now? Well, we’re not quite sure what will happen, but, theoretically, teams could make player trades.
Beginning immediately, with the lockout lifted, teams could sign and trade players. Is there anything stopping teams from making a mad dash for Matt Hasselbeck or any number of free agents out there? Not from a rules standpoint, but it's highly unlikely the owners break rank and make a mad dash for players.
Without a collective bargaining agreement in place, all the old rules are out the window. The franchise tags, free agency rules ... everything. What's stopping a team from, say, going after Peyton Manning, who's currently franchise tagged by the Indianapolis Colts? In the Wild West NFL, there are no rules or guidelines, but it's highly unlikely a no-holds-barred free agency deathmatch will erupt. Owners will still hold each other accountable and the league office will surely have a say in what goes on.
But if the owners make a pact to not sign free agents or green light the offseason, the players will have a significant case for collusion. In the immediate, it won’t come into play, but if a stay is not granted, the NFL will have to set rules and begin offseason activities -- from free agency to the typical team activities.
For now, we’re in a holding pattern as the NFL awaits a ruling on its request for a stay. But if the stay is denied ahead of the draft, it could get nutty as teams scramble to secure free agents and make trades this week. After months of boring legal wars, the NFL may be on the verge of getting a whole lot more entertaining.
See More:
