New CBA could happen by late June

[KDPPatsfan85]

Reports hint new CBA could happen by late June - CBSSports.com

Pro Football Weekly's Eric Edholm also hears things, all positive: "Sources have indicated to PFW that June 21, which is when the NFL owners are scheduled to meet in Chicago, might be a date to circle on the calendar. The reason for the escalated talks might indicate that the owners want to have a deal — or parameters of a deal — to vote on when they all assemble for the meeting."

Lets hope Free Agency starts soon!! I am glad they are working things out. See what happens when you get the lawyers away?? Lawyers are deal breakers not deal makers!!

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Agreed. It is in the lawyers' financial interest for this to drag out as long as possible.

Hopefully the deal gets done soon. I'm sick of reading about labour laws and legal mumbo jumbo.

 

[KDPPatsfan85]

Agreed. It is in the lawyers' financial interest for this to drag out as long as possible.

Hopefully the deal gets done soon. I'm sick of reading about labour laws and legal mumbo jumbo.

June 21st should be the first date we look at. I know the actual ruling comes July 3rd. So if the owners vote on the deal and gets it done. June 25-27 we could be looking at free agency and mini camps then Training camp.

 

[patfanken]

I'd like to know, if the talks are at a point where a deal could be reached by the end of the month, WHY don't the owners lift the lockout NOW! It wouldn't hurt their negotiating stance. In fact, it would give them the high ground in the PR war, and show good faith to the players. Its a no LOSE situation.

END THE LOCKOUT NOW!

 

[MoLewisrocks]

June 21 is just optimistic speculation based on that being the date of the next owners meeting. A lot would have to transpire between now and then for them to even have an agreement in principle on the major issues. The rest would have to be hammered out and put to paper and voted on by the league AND A PLAYERS UNION before anyone gets traded or goes back to work... And the appeals court ruling is not coming on any given date, it could be tomorrow or a month from tomorrow...

 

[KDPPatsfan85]

I'd like to know, if the talks are at a point where a deal could be reached by the end of the month, WHY don't the owners lift the lockout NOW! It wouldn't hurt their negotiating stance. In fact, it would give them the high ground in the PR war, and show good faith to the players. Its a no LOSE situation.

END THE LOCKOUT NOW!

I agree, I am just happy something is happening. I am excited for free agency. I wonder who the Patriots will sign or trade for.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

i'd like to know, if the talks are at a point where a deal could be reached by the end of the month, why don't the owners lift the lockout now! It wouldn't hurt their negotiating stance. In fact, it would give them the high ground in the pr war, and show good faith to the players. Its a no lose situation.

End the lockout now!

Because there is no CBA or rules in force now and the players aren't members of a union so they can further sue for damages if anything unfortunate happens to them because the owners were foolish and impatient enough to jump the gun!

 

[patfanken]

Because there is no CBA or rules in force now and the players aren't members of a union so they can further sue for damages if anything unfortunate happens to them because the owners were foolish and impatient enough to jump the gun!

Like I said in another thread on this topic, your issue of "liability" can be easily disposed of by both parties agreeing to some basic operating rules that would allow the players to have contact with their coaches, organized team activities, the signing of UDFAs and FA/draftee negotiations, if not actual signings.

At this point they probably know what the cap is going to be. They know how they want to handle the new rookie salary cap, and how that extra money is to be distributed, etc. WHY NOT start at least SOME of the league activities while the freakin' lawyers take 3-4 weeks taking a simple 10 page document (estimate) and turning it into 10 INCHES of legalese.(probably an UNDERestimate)

 

[ay-yo]

Both sides are starting sweat a little as we get closer and closer to missing preseason games. That's money that both sides are losing and neither side wants that. I also think if pre-games get missed there will be a LOT more negative PR for both sides.

I haven't really paid attention to this stuff cus I don't wanna hear rich people bicker but I think something gets done at some point in July.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Like I said in another thread on this topic, your issue of "liability" can be easily disposed of by both parties agreeing to some basic operating rules that would allow the players to have contact with their coaches, organized team activities, the signing of UDFAs and FA/draftee negotiations, if not actual signings.

At this point they probably know what the cap is going to be. They know how they want to handle the new rookie salary cap, and how that extra money is to be distributed, etc. WHY NOT start at least SOME of the league activities while the freakin' lawyers take 3-4 weeks taking a simple 10 page document (estimate) and turning it into 10 INCHES of legalese.(probably an UNDERestimate)

Because in business let alone billion dollar business it's the legalese that gets you screwed over because it's often in conflict with aw shucks common sense. Roughly eight hundred of these guys who have the ability to earn six and seven figure salaries and bonuses presently don't have a signed contract with anyone or any disability insurance (nor do teams have insurance on them) and are paying for their own COBRA medical...just for openers. It's gonna take the league a couple of days just to hammer out the process for dealing with that situation in a small window.

The owners have resisted any form of unlocking absent a done deal for very sound reasons that remain until an agreement is signed and sealed. They could yet hit bump in the road (perhaps over judicial oversight) and as they stated to the courts in defense of upholding the lockout you cannot unscramble eggs (FA signings, trades, etc.) simply and you cannot expect a business to operate under rules that violate anti trust absent a CBA.

And it won't be a ten page document although for public consumption it could possibly be summarized in about that. It will be a hundred plus pages the lawyers wheretofor into twice that so no one but one of them can easily interpret it...or several of them can argue ad nauseum as to what it was intended to mean.

Besides which there would be little or nothing going on now anyway since mid June to mid July is traditionally the dead season in the NFL with coaches and FO staff away on vacation reporting back just in time to gear up for camp and most players taking a final break in their training as well prior to camp. If they get a deal done by the 4th of July they will have a window in which to deal with FA and rookie signings (most of which don't happen before mid to late July) before opening camps at the end of that month. Jumping the gun to half ass an extra two weeks into that process wouldn't gain them enough to be worth the risk of hitting a snag after you've abandoned a position of leverage you've spent millions establishing.

 

[Deus Irae]

I'd like to know, if the talks are at a point where a deal could be reached by the end of the month, WHY don't the owners lift the lockout NOW! It wouldn't hurt their negotiating stance. In fact, it would give them the high ground in the PR war, and show good faith to the players. Its a no LOSE situation.

END THE LOCKOUT NOW!

The owners would be foolish to end the lockout now.

 

[Wolfpack]

Because in business let alone billion dollar business it's the legalese that gets you screwed over because it's often in conflict with aw shucks common sense. Roughly eight hundred of these guys who have the ability to earn six and seven figure salaries and bonuses presently don't have a signed contract with anyone or any disability insurance (nor do teams have insurance on them) and are paying for their own COBRA medical...just for openers. It's gonna take the league a couple of days just to hammer out the process for dealing with that situation in a small window.

The players who are currently under contract would be perfectly free to report and could easily operate under the rules that previously existed while waiting for the new CBA to be officially drafted.

The players not under contract, whether we're talking about rookies, UFA's or franchised players, would have to work out new deals before they reported to camp - which would be just like every other year.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

The players who are currently under contract would be perfectly free to report and could easily operate under the rules that previously existed while waiting for the new CBA to be officially drafted.

The players not under contract, whether we're talking about rookies, UFA's or franchised players, would have to work out new deals before they reported to camp - which would be just like every other year.

Unless they are in a union and under a CBA any rules they were operating under would potentialy be in violation of anti trust.

How can you work out new deals before the rules are finalized???

 

[Wolfpack]

Unless they are in a union and under a CBA any rules they were operating under would potentialy be in violation of anti trust.

Yes but if you have an agreement in principle, you can return to those old rules without worrying about being sued or sanctioned for those anti-trust violations. The FBI isn't going to raid league offices over anti-trust violations when an agreement in principle is in place, especially when that agreement was overseen by federal judges and/or mediators. And the players aren't going to sue for anti-trust violations and treble damage when they signed off on the agreement in principle.

In other words, having an agreement in principle (especially one with federal oversight) would indemnify the league against any potenital liability whatsoever against anti-trust violations.

How can you work out new deals before the rules are finalized???

Quite easily, when you have an agreement in principle in place.

You do realize that an agreement in principle is still a very complicated and detailed action, right? For example, saying "OK we'll have a rookie wage scale" would not really count as such an agreement. It would also have to include the specific amounts each rookie would get.

 

[Sfpat]

An agreement in principle usually states that the parties have agreed to all of the "business" aspect of the deal and want to proceed while waiting for the legal details to be developed. An AIP (or LOI) would allow them to begin working immediately under the new rules. Usually when the parties have agreed in principle, they find a way to agree on the legal points (and I have negotiated business deals worth hundreds of million dollars)

 

[Frezo]

The NFL would likely demand that players like Brady drop their anti-trust suits before opening the stadiums to players. Would they do that before a CBA is officially in place?

 

[PatsFanStnfrd]

My entry in the office pool on when the lockout ends is around July 10-12. The lockout will end when a definitive agreement on all parameters is reached. Let's hope the lawyers don't foul this up at the last moment.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

An agreement in principle usually states that the parties have agreed to all of the "business" aspect of the deal and want to proceed while waiting for the legal details to be developed. An AIP (or LOI) would allow them to begin working immediately under the new rules. Usually when the parties have agreed in principle, they find a way to agree on the legal points (and I have negotiated business deals worth hundreds of million dollars)

Negotiated any where the terms of any agreement in principle clearly violate anti trust in the absence of a union and an enforceable CBA?

Before anyone goes back to work the lawsuit has to be settled (or dismissed) and the union has to recertify or the owners won't have anyone worth agreeing with...

 

[Sfpat]

Negotiated any where the terms of any agreement in principle clearly violate anti trust in the absence of a union and an enforceable CBA?

Before anyone goes back to work the lawsuit has to be settled (or dismissed) and the union has to recertify or the owners won't have anyone worth agreeing with...

I don't argue your points. Of course these points would need to be part of any agreement

 

[ausbacker]

I'd like to know, if the talks are at a point where a deal could be reached by the end of the month, WHY don't the owners lift the lockout NOW! It wouldn't hurt their negotiating stance. In fact, it would give them the high ground in the PR war, and show good faith to the players. Its a no LOSE situation.

END THE LOCKOUT NOW!

If they're still in negotiations you don't exhaust your leverage until the deal is consummated ken. It's basic business philosophy. If I were in the owners circle I know I wouldn't end the lockout until an agreement was struck and an iron clad contract set in place.