As lawyers for the NFL and the players met into the night on Tuesday in New York, it appeared as if the league's lockout was entering its final stages.
According to several media sources, legal staff for both sides are trying to finalize an agreement so it can be presented to the Players' Association executive committee on Wednesday.
The NFL Network reports the committee will present the proposal to the 32 player representatives. They will vote whether or not to recommend the proposal to the Brady plaintiffs.
If an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement is reached Wednesday, owners could ratify the deal when they meet Thursday in Atlanta.
When the players decertified their union, a lawsuit, led by Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, ensued against the league.
The NFL Network reported one of the proposed settlements has Manning and Brees being immune from the franchise tag for the rest of their careers.
Brees took to Twitter to respond.
"I hesitate to even dignify the false media reports with a response, but obviously they are leading people astray," Brees said.
San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson and New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins reportedly demanded to either be free agents or get $10 million as compensation for being plaintiffs in the case. Both players currently have the franchise tag designation.
A new CBA needs to be reached soon if the preseason is to start on time August 7 when the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams play the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The start of training camps, scheduled to begin the end of this week, will likely be delayed.
A source told the NFL Network that the plan was to have some training camps open a day late, but the others on time. The network reported attorney Michael Hausfeld led a group of retired players into negotiations Tuesday. Sources told the network that between $900 million and $1 billion in improvements have been negotiated for retirees.
The lockout, of course, began on March 12 after the sides failed to reach an agreement on how to split about $9 billion in revenue, among other issues like a rookie wage scale, the salary cap and retirement benefits.
In the four months since, they have battled each other in courts and during negotiating sessions.
