According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the NFL's owners and the NFL Players Association have reached agreement on the remaining items that needed to be negotiated in the quest for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, the NFLPA still has to formally approve the new 10-year CBA through a vote which Schefter reports will take place on Monday. In fact, Schefter reports that the NFLPA is making plans to hold a press conference tomorrow.
We will be live on PhiladelphiaEagles.com with Eagles Live! starting at Noon on Monday to bring you the latest on the CBA situation and hopefully be able to unveil the timeline for the start of the 2011 season which would include free agency and training camp.
According to the ESPN report, players would be able to report to team facilities on Wednesday. On that day, teams can negotiate contracts with their own free agents and draft picks. On Saturday, training camps would open and free agency would begin. Of course, that timeline is subject to the NFLPA ratifying the CBA on Monday. The league's 1,900 players also have to agree to reform as a union which was dissolved in March, which can reportedly happen at team facilities once they reopen.
The ESPN report added that the NFLPA executive committee are headed to Washington D.C. on Sunday to meet Monday. The executive committee would have to approve the CBA. Then, the 32 player reps (one for each team, the Eagles' rep is Winston Justice) would have to sign off on a deal, which will reportedly take place via conference call. Lastly, the plaintiffs in the Brady, et al. vs. the NFL lawsuit would have to approve. (However, Pro Football Talk reports the plaintiffs have already agreed to the terms of the settlement.)
The NFL approved a proposal for a new CBA at the owners meetings in Atlanta on Thursday. The NFL Players Association has yet to vote on any proposal. According to multiple reports, major breakthroughs on remaining issues happened during negotiations on Saturday. Reports indicate that the NFL will not have to vote again on any changes to the proposal since the owners gave Commissioner Roger Goodell the authority to make any necessary adjustments to get the job done.
