NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFLPA executive directer DeMaurice Smith and their staffs will be meeting in Minnesota today through Friday ostensibly to iron out more details of the rumored CBA proposal. Per ESPN's Chris Mortensen:
"The key issue in the dispute centers on how to divide revenues after the league took in about $9.3 billion last year. Three people told the AP that the two power brokers and staff members got together to resume negotiations aimed at ending a lockout now in its fourth month. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because no labor developments are being made public."
This is now the fifth round of talks between the sides and comes at a time when optimism is high that a settlement will be reached soon. The number I keep hearing, that somehow never decreases, is approximately two weeks. We'll see.
As Mortensen said above, main issue that they're discussing and bargaining over is how to split the revenue between players and owners. That's the big hurdle, but there are many lesser issues to figure out too, and this is why it's taken so much time. Per Jason La Canfora,
"The parties broached the rookie pay system last week for the first time during these clandestine sessions, and it proved to be a difficult area to navigate. Last year's No. 1 overall draft pick, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, received about $50 million guaranteed in his rookie deal, and the owners have long looked to drastically mark down those type of price tags.
But the numbers aren't the only issues. Among the players' concerns are finding a way to replace the effect such contracts have on the veteran market and also get those high picks to free agency quicker (as it stands, six-year contracts are allowable for the high first-round picks making big money)."
So as you can see, still a lot of talk and not much tangible evidence we're any closer to an agreement. The fact that they have four days of meetings on the books is a positive thing though, so hopefully it's fruitful.