NFL owners, union in urgency mode
The NFL free agency season is scheduled to open just after midnight Thursday, so a sense of urgency finally has arrived to work out a new collective bargaining agreement.
The league and the NFL Players Association negotiated on Monday, with speculation something could be worked out by Thursday. Perhaps as an indication a deal is imminent, NFL owners have scheduled a 4 p.m. conference call on Tuesday to discuss the labor situation.
Gene Upshaw, the NFLPA executive director, has been adamant he will not push back the start of free agency, but if a deal is done or close to being done, it's very possible the start of free agency will be delayed one week to let teams adjust to the new salary cap figures.
It's also conceivable the clock could be stopped so each side can present the deal to its constituents next week for approval. The owners have a meeting scheduled in Dallas a week from Tuesday and the union holds its annual meeting with the players reps in Hawaii on March 10. The union's executive board meets one day earlier.
If there is no deal, then free agency will start with more restrictive rules: Signing bonuses only will be allowed to be pro-rated over four years instead of the usual six and annual salaries can only increase by 30 percent per year. In addition, the salary cap is expected to be set at $95 million. If a new CBA is worked out, the cap could reach $100 million-$104 million.
As of now, without a new CBA, the 2007 season will an uncapped year. Upshaw has said if that happens, the players will never agree to go back to a salary cap. But that comes with concessions: The unrestricted free agency requirement jumps from four years of service to six years, which could reduce the pool of eligible players by 50 percent.
Teams are scrambling to get under the cap, with different plans mapped out depending on where the numbers wind up. The Jets, whose cap number recently was $124 million, are down to $107 million. Curtis Martin provided them with $3.7 million of relief when he took a huge cut, lowering his base salary this season from $6.2 million to $2.5 million. They are looking to take a huge slice out of Chad Pennington's $15 million cap number. The Giants are at $95 million.
If CBA talks break off, then predictions of massive player cuts by several teams to get under the cap could become reality.
The league and the NFL Players Association negotiated on Monday, with speculation something could be worked out by Thursday. Perhaps as an indication a deal is imminent, NFL owners have scheduled a 4 p.m. conference call on Tuesday to discuss the labor situation.
Gene Upshaw, the NFLPA executive director, has been adamant he will not push back the start of free agency, but if a deal is done or close to being done, it's very possible the start of free agency will be delayed one week to let teams adjust to the new salary cap figures.
It's also conceivable the clock could be stopped so each side can present the deal to its constituents next week for approval. The owners have a meeting scheduled in Dallas a week from Tuesday and the union holds its annual meeting with the players reps in Hawaii on March 10. The union's executive board meets one day earlier.
If there is no deal, then free agency will start with more restrictive rules: Signing bonuses only will be allowed to be pro-rated over four years instead of the usual six and annual salaries can only increase by 30 percent per year. In addition, the salary cap is expected to be set at $95 million. If a new CBA is worked out, the cap could reach $100 million-$104 million.
As of now, without a new CBA, the 2007 season will an uncapped year. Upshaw has said if that happens, the players will never agree to go back to a salary cap. But that comes with concessions: The unrestricted free agency requirement jumps from four years of service to six years, which could reduce the pool of eligible players by 50 percent.
Teams are scrambling to get under the cap, with different plans mapped out depending on where the numbers wind up. The Jets, whose cap number recently was $124 million, are down to $107 million. Curtis Martin provided them with $3.7 million of relief when he took a huge cut, lowering his base salary this season from $6.2 million to $2.5 million. They are looking to take a huge slice out of Chad Pennington's $15 million cap number. The Giants are at $95 million.
If CBA talks break off, then predictions of massive player cuts by several teams to get under the cap could become reality.
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