Just get it done already!

NFL | League moving closer to a labor deal?
Mon, 27 Feb 2006 0918 -0800

Alex Marvez, of the Sun-Sentinel, reports the NFL appears on the verge of reaching agreement on a new labor pact with its players union. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Monday, Feb. 27, that progress has been made. An agreement reached this week would likely delay the start of the free-agent signing period, which is scheduled to begin Friday, March 3. Jones said negotiations between the league and the NFL Players Association could continue until Thursday, March 2.

 

POSTED 1:39 p.m. EST, February 27, 2006



CBA IS "DONE," BUT . . . .



A league source tells us that a deal between the NFL and the NFL Players Association on an extension to the Collective Bargaining Agreement is "done," and that the only thing keeping the thing from being signed and sealed is the absence of a firm arrangement among owners regarding an expansion of revenue sharing.



The only remaining problem is that the new CBA replaces "Defined Gross Revenues" (i.e., the stuff that has been shared by the 32 teams for years) with "Total Football Revenues" (i.e., every penny earned). And if every penny earned, including stuff that isn't currently shared, goes into the formula for determining the salary cap, the problem is that the low-earning teams will see their individual cap numbers influenced by the much bigger money being raked in by other teams.



Stay tuned. It's looking more and more like it's only a matter of time before the owners work this thing out. As they should.





We will have like $10+ million in additional cap space if this happens. Whacky. Pay-day for the new FA's.

 

I wonder if they are going to raise my season tickets this year because of it. If nothing else maybe we can re-sign Spoon now

 

If we're going to have tons of room, I'd as well leave Peppers' contract somewhat intact - shave a mil off it, maybe. Redo it after this year.

We don't have a ton of needs, and we'll have to re-up him at some point, but I don't want to do it just to clear cap room and make him that much more expensive in 2008-2009 and on, with him counting a double bonus.

 

Peppers is signed thru 08 with base salaries of

• 5,515 mil in 06
• 5,535 mil 07
• 6,500 mil 08

Really wish there was a way to get the true money value of contracts on the web

 

I think that is the definition of a rhetorical question....

 

Well at least I have the credit from the playoffs we didn't have at home. Sure hope they don't grab the whole thing back in one big leap.:banginghe

 

I'm worried about my season tickets going through the roof in the coming years aswell. Salary Cap is growing faster than inflation and that sucks for the working man like myself... Had my tickets for like 3 full season now and they have went from 37 to 47 and probally about 55 a piece with 2 years.... Wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to buy those damn preseason games..... Wish they wouldn't shorted the preseason but, then the tickets would be raised to make up the cost..... At least my Bobcats tickets are being reduced by 33% this year.

 

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiheral...ts/13978660.htm

Posted on Tue, Feb. 28, 2006
NFL COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

League, players close to extending CBA to 2013The NFL and the union likely will extend their collective bargaining agreement soon, avoiding a possible salary cap mess.
BY JASON [email protected]

INDIANAPOLIS - The Dolphins and other NFL teams felt relief after Monday's news of progress in the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated that an extension of the current collective bargaining agreement likely is only days away, avoiding what could have been a complicated situation with the NFL salary cap.

When asked whether there had been progress in the past few days, Jones replied: ``Yes. I feel we'll likely have a deal within . . . we've got a pretty tight time frame here with the [league] year [starting Friday]. It will be firmed into a situation that will reasonably address the beginning of the league year.''

Jones, who is considered a leader of the high-revenue teams, has been among the key figures in the talks.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw met Monday in Washington to hold further talks and are expected to meet today in New York.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the executive committee of the NFL Management Council, which includes eight owners, will meet in New York.

If an agreement is completed, the current cap rules would stay in place and would be extended through the 2013 season.

That would greatly benefit the Dolphins. Like many teams, the Dolphins were expected to have problems getting under the projected salary cap of between $92 million and $95 million. The rules that would have taken effect without an extension would make restructuring contracts difficult.

An extension of the agreement would ease that. For example, the Dolphins could create approximately $6 million in cap space by guaranteeing and extending the contract of Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Taylor, whose salary is scheduled to count for $11 million against the cap in 2006.

The cap for all teams also is expected to be much higher. Last week, Upshaw said the cap could be as high as $104 million with the extension.

That means the Dolphins can retain more veteran players, at least temporarily. For example: Without a CBA extension, left tackle Damion McIntosh and quarterback Gus Frerotte might have been released for salary cap reasons. But now they can remain on the roster, at least until the team gets other players to supplant them or reworks their contracts.

Although the Dolphins have not confirmed how far under the cap they will be, it's apparent that an extension would put them in position to do some significant free agent shopping.

That could include making offers for players such as Saints center LeCharles Bentley, former Jets cornerback Ty Law or Chargers quarterback Drew Brees.

Upshaw said last week that he wouldn't agree to extend the deadline for a new CBA, but others in the NFLPA have indicated that Upshaw was posturing. Jones said something must be at least in writing by Thursday to get an extension of the deadline.

The negative fallout from the extension: The start of the league year, which also is the beginning of the free agency period, likely will be delayed. Free agency is expected to begin March 3 but could be delayed by a week or two.

Houston general manager Charley Casserly said an extension likely would have to delay the start of the league year to read through the cap and examine any changes in the rules.

Also, several other executives with the league and the NFLPA have said it will take time for teams to restructure contracts for players to get under the cap.