With negotiations to end the NFL lockout at a critical point, key players from the NFL and NFLPA may work overtime to get a deal done in an effort to avoid the loss of preseason games. The deadline to get a season underway without losing training camp and exhibition games is near, and while progress is being made in the collective bargaining agreement talks, there's still plenty of work to be done to hammer out an agreement.
According to Washington Post NFL reporter Mark Maske, the owners and players may hunker down and work during the weekend in New York.
This round of negotiations potentially could extend into the weekend if there's enough progress on Thursday and Friday. The weekend talks would come in part because some on the ownership side believe it's getting very close to preseason games being canceled.
The reason for the extended round of talks, Maske says, is due to the time it will take to create a formal deal once an agreement is reached. Maske believes it will take 10 to 12 days for a formal agreement to be drafted once the owners and players reach a verbal understanding. Even if an agreement is reached by the end of this weekend, the NFL still risks losing part of training camp and, perhaps, a portion of the preseason.
The lawyers are taking their turn at the table on Tuesday and Wednesday, doing preliminary work in an effort to expedite the process of creating a formal agreement. To be clear, no deal has been reached and talks are still at a critical phase, but the lawyers are working ahead with a deadline looming.