The NFL preseason is on the clock.
July 15 seems like the drop-dead date for any labor agreement that would keep the preseason intact. Frankly, there’s a 50-50 chance it gets done, which is better odds than suspected last month.
The good news is it’s all about numbers now. The bluster, public posturing and angry responses have all been expended. Both sides have moved past the bravado and are trying to make a deal.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ warning that the players and owners would regret a legal ruling on the lockout has prompted serious discussions. The players and owners were essentially done with the legal process anyway.
Both sides are keeping lawyers out of the room, which is critical. Lawyers are paid by the hour and refuse to yield. They would rather concede the season than lose some reputation and impact their future billable hours. Nobody needs them until it’s time to type up the contract, and the players and owners finally realized it.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in March any deal would come through talks and not the courts. He appears right. The sides are talking, so it’s only a matter of time before a deal is done.
The clock is currently against the owners, who make $700 million in the preseason, partly by paying players less than $2,000 a game. It’s a steal considering preseason and regular-season tickets are the same price. The players actually have a little leverage until the preseason is lost. Then momentum swings to the owners because the players begin losing sizable game checks.
The players’ best deal probably comes now. Maybe they get 48 percent of total revenues. Maybe it’s 46.5 percent. With the NFL’s expected 200 percent fiscal growth in coming years, even rookie special teamers will earn $400,000 minimum eventually. Translation — everybody’s getting rich regardless of a 1.5 percent difference.
A decision is required by mid-July for training camps to start by Aug. 1. NFL personnel say one week will be needed after a collective bargaining agreement is reached to digest the new rules before free agency starts. Teams must analyze how much salary cap room they have, who’s now a free agent and how it all fits together.
Free agency may be only one or two weeks before camps open. Player moves will flow nonstop for days. Your Twitter feed will keep popping at 2 a.m. One moment, Albert Haynesworth will be traded for a 2013 seventh-rounder. The next, Donovan McNabb will get cut. The Redskins might see 50 player transactions in 50 hours.
The coming days are critical, though. If there’s no deal soon, talks could be pushed into September. A deal seems reachable if everyone’s listening. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell whether they are doing so.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
