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With the NFL closing in on a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement, owners and players will return to the negotiating table in a mediation setting on Monday and Tuesday to settle a handful of unresolved issues, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

According to sources, the sides will meet in either New York or Washington D.C., and U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan could join them on either day.


NFL Labor Negotiations and Lockout
The NFL lockout began on March 11, but an end appears near. ESPN.com Topics keeps you up to date on all of the latest on the labor situation. More »

Before departing for an overseas vacation on July 9, Boylan ordered a mediation session in Minneapolis on Tuesday. It had appeared that the mediation session would be cancelled after the progress made in New York on Thursday and Friday, but sources say the hope is that mediation will nudge the two sides to a final agreement in time for the players to vote to recertify as a union and approve an agreement Wednesday.

Under that scenario, the owners would ratify the new CBA on Thursday at the league meetings in Atlanta. According to sources, the two sides also could use Wednesday morning to finish their mediated negotiation session, if necessary.

The outstanding unresolved issues, according to sources:
• Players want restoration of $320 million in lost benefits from the 2010 uncapped season.

• Players want to limit use of the franchise tag on unrestricted free agents to a one-time application. Previously, teams could use the franchise tag on a player on three separate occasions with significant increases on one-year guaranteed salaries for every additional year that the player was tagged.

• Settlement of the Brady antitrust lawsuit involving 10 named plaintiffs. The limit of franchise tags on all players could be the anchor to the settlement. That would result in named plaintiffs such as Drew Brees, Logan Mankins, Peyton Manning and Vincent Jackson not being subject to any free agent restrictions in 2012 if their respective teams do not sign them to long-term contracts.

• Workman's compensation. It has been an underpublicized and complex issue for the owners that has resulted in numerous lawsuits. Owners want players to file for workman's comp benefits in the state in which they played, if they suffered an injury. Currently, players have used California as a filing base if they can prove they suffered any injury during their career while playing in that state.

• Settlement of the television damages case stemming from U.S. District Judge David Doty's ruling that owners did not act in the best interests of players as directed by the previous CBA in creating "lockout insurance." The players have asked Doty to place $4 billion in escrow until the lockout is resolved but Doty has not ruled. It is possible the players will use this leverage to gain the $320 million in restoration of lost benefits from 2010.

Under a ratified agreement, teams would have an exclusive 72-hour window to negotiate contracts with their own free agents Friday before those players hit the open market at the start of league-wide free agency on July 25th.

One key concession made by the owners will effectively eliminate two-a-day practices during training camp as a health and safety issue that players termed critical to an agreement, the sources said. Teams will be allowed to have some helmetless and padless non-contact walk-through practices in lieu of a second training camp practice on the same day.

According to sources, teams will also reduce offseason workouts from 14 on-field organized team activities (practices) to nine. Six of those nine practices must be helmetless. Players also will not be subject to reporting for offseason work with coaches until May 1, although one source said that date could be in mid-April. Previously, players could work with coaches beginning in March. March 15 was the designated date in 2011 before the lockout went into effect March 13.

Under the proposed 10-year CBA, players would get a split ranging from 48 to 46.5 percent of a simplified all-revenue model, the sources said. The lower 46.5 percentage would represent an increase in total dollars as revenues grow from new television contracts, as well as allowing credits if three new stadiums are constructed, including one in Los Angeles, where the NFL has not had a team since the 1994 season.

Talks had stalled last week before, according to sources, the sides reached agreement on both a rookie wage system and salary cap on Thursday and free agency rules for 2011 on Friday.

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth, a key member of the players' side in the talks, commented on the lengthy negotiations on his Twitter account Saturday night.

Foxworth wrote: "What a long busy week. I'm so tired. I need my daughter to take a nap so I can."

APWe’ve heard some rough estimates that unrestricted free agency could start by Monday July 25, with teams able to re-sign their own players starting on Friday. That timeline sounds a little aggressive.

Judy Battista of the New York Times that a “labor seminar” for league executives will be held Thursday and Friday, should a labor agreement be ratified Thursday. They will go over all the new rules. It’s hard to imagine transactions allowed that day or even the next day.

Battista and ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted that a memo was sent out to all 32 teams Monday detailing plans for the week. Teams were asked to bring up to four key personnel members per club to the meeting in addition to owners. Agents will also have to be briefed.

It sounds like the rough timeline we wrote about when the “Transition Rules” were reported by ESPN are basically still expected.

This all assumes a deal is actually done by Thursday and we’re not ready to pop any champagne just yet.

Countertrey wrote:Blah, blah, blah...

just leaks and conjecture until pen hits paper.

"Nobody cheers for you at Mile 25 of a marathon. You still have to cross the finish line," the NFLPA's Atallah said. "There still are things that can get you tripped up, and we're going to push through."

Red_One43 wrote:Love this analogy which comes from George Atallah of the NFLPA (Decertified):

"Nobody cheers for you at Mile 25 of a marathon. You still have to cross the finish line," the NFLPA's Atallah said. "There still are things that can get you tripped up, and we're going to push through."

http://www.newser.com/article/d9oi9djo0 ... rsday.html

yupchagee wrote:

Red_One43 wrote:Love this analogy which comes from George Atallah of the NFLPA (Decertified):

"Nobody cheers for you at Mile 25 of a marathon. You still have to cross the finish line," the NFLPA's Atallah said. "There still are things that can get you tripped up, and we're going to push through."

http://www.newser.com/article/d9oi9djo0 ... rsday.html

He's wrong. You get cheered along the whole course in all road races.

yupchagee wrote:

Red_One43 wrote:Love this analogy which comes from George Atallah of the NFLPA (Decertified):

"Nobody cheers for you at Mile 25 of a marathon. You still have to cross the finish line," the NFLPA's Atallah said. "There still are things that can get you tripped up, and we're going to push through."

http://www.newser.com/article/d9oi9djo0 ... rsday.html

He's wrong. You get cheered along the whole course in all road races.

A virtually completed deal to end the NFL’s four-month lockout is expected to be presented to player representatives on Wednesday for review and possible recommendation of approval, several people familiar with the deliberations said Tuesday night.

Attorneys for the league and players met Tuesday in New York with their court-appointed mediator, Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan, and failed to resolve all the remaining issues, according to people not involved in the negotiations but familiar with them. But the two sides made sufficient progress that they intended to have a draft ready for presentation to the players Wednesday in Washington, those people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the deliberations.

Red_One43 wrote:

A virtually completed deal to end the NFL’s four-month lockout is expected to be presented to player representatives on Wednesday for review and possible recommendation of approval, several people familiar with the deliberations said Tuesday night.

Attorneys for the league and players met Tuesday in New York with their court-appointed mediator, Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan, and failed to resolve all the remaining issues, according to people not involved in the negotiations but familiar with them. But the two sides made sufficient progress that they intended to have a draft ready for presentation to the players Wednesday in Washington, those people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the deliberations.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nf ... story.html

tribeofjudah wrote:Goofy Jerry Jones says: it's like circumsizing mosquitos.....

tribeofjudah wrote:Goofy Jerry Jones says: it's like circumsizing mosquitos.....

Countertrey wrote:Tell me it's not about greed...

KazooSkinsFan wrote:

Countertrey wrote:Tell me it's not about greed...

It's not about greed, it's about respect, as measured in money. No wait, it's about freedom, as measured in money. Um...would you believe it's about choice, measured in money????

In a major step toward ending the NFL lockout, the league’s owners have voted to ratify a proposal settling the players’ antitrust litigation.

This was the key vote that had been anticipated at this NFL owners’ meeting for weeks, but it doesn’t end the lockout in and of itself. The players still need to accept the settlement, and to vote to re-certify their union. Then the owners and players would agree to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and get back to work.

According to NFL Network, the owners voted 31-0 to approve the settlement, with the Oakland Raiders abstaining.

NFLPA* members will hold a conference call this evening at which they, too, may hold a vote, and if the players accept the same terms that the owners voted to accept, the lockout will be very close to an end.

It looks like we won’t have a labor agreement before the end of the night.

Jay Glazer of FOX reports that players do not expect to vote on Thursday night. A report surfaced that the players “rejected” the owner’s proposal, but that proved premature. They can’t reject something they haven’t voted on.

We’re hesitant to say anything is set in stone considering the nature of these talks, but this much is clear: The players have not reacted well to the owners’ ratification Thursday.

I'm now hearing the players will NOT vote bc they haven't even seen what owners have done w changes players made to the owners' proposal.

Please don't get excited about that press conference. The owners have agreed on a deal we the players have not seen! This is not consistent
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Vonnie Holliday

therealholliday