pats1

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 10:19 p.m. EST, March 4, 2006

UNION IS "IN LINE," DEAL "READY TO GO"

A league source with knowledge of the status of the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations tells us that all issues between the NFL and the NFL Players Association have been resolved, and that the only remaining sticking point is the dispute between owners regarding the extent to which revenue sharing will be expanded.

Said the source: "It is the rich Johnny-come-lately owners who can't figure out that they are making money because they own a team in a large market and not because they own a team."

Of course, the owners at the other end of the spectrum would argue that teams not in a large market should be required to try to earn as much money as possible before asking for revenues to be shared beyond their current extent, which represents 80 percent of all revenues.

Any proposal must attract the votes of at least a few of the 11-12 owners who are opposed to any changes to the current system of revenue sharing.

The disagreement arises from the growing disparity between unshared local revenues. Because the new CBA will determine the team-by-team salary cap based on a percentage of total football revenues, the teams making less of the money that isn't shared will see their player costs increases by revenues earned by the teams making more money in comparison.

One of the possibilities under consideration is a limitation on the amount of cash payments made in a given year above the salary cap. Such a measure will restrict the ability of the big-money teams to use their extra cash to lure free agents with signing bonus money.