I know the title of this post alone has many of you jumping for joy. CBS Sports has reported that labor negotiations are now 80 to 85% complete and a deal could be reached “within days” to end the NFL lockout and start free agency immediately. The fact that we’re not really privy to the negotiations and that it’s being all done in private, to me, is a really good sign. The less mud slinging that’s going on in public and in the media, the more they must be agreeing, or at least working things out. Details for now of the deal are being kept very hush-hush, so there’s no telling where the two sides stand on some of the major issues (profit split, 18 games vs. 16 games, rookie contracts, restricted free agency etc…). At the end of the day the recent developments leave more room for optimism than ever before in the ongoing CBA saga.
Because of the egos and burned bridges involved, though, tread lightly in your faith of things getting resolved quickly because I still believe these are highly volatile discussions and any progress can implode quickly if there’s a sticking point, which could potentially lead to a new lawsuit and/or things getting pushed back to square one. Still, we all have to be encouraged for now that things seem to be moving in the right direction. Fingers crossed a deal gets done before the end of the month!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!