Early offseason

Too early

The current labor agreement expires March 4. Without a new collective bargaining agreement, players anticipate owners locking them out shortly thereafter.

That means no free agency, no trades, no access to the team facility for players interested in working out or in the midst of injury rehabilitation.

“It’s 100 percent in the owners’ hands,” said Saturday, the Colts’ representative to the NFL players association.

There’s every likelihood owner Jim Irsay and team president Bill Polian will work out a new contract making Manning the highest-paid player in the league before March. The NFL’s only four-time MVP is one of several significant players whose contracts are set to expire, a group that includes Joseph Addai, Adam Vinatieri, Clint Session, Charlie Johnson, Antonio Johnson and Dan Muir.

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