It sounds as though owners and players will once again meet for some mediation sessions on Monday and Tuesday of this coming week in order to iron out some of the "smaller" but very large impending issues that still stand in the way of getting the NFL lockout resolved. Since that is the case, you can slightly temper your enthusiasm that the lockout will be over sooner rather than later.
Right now, there is a 10 year labor deal that is very, very near completion, a deal that would give NFL fans the following post-lockout and free agency plan.
- Owners and Players mediate with judge Arthur Boylan on Monday and Tuesday, with a deal likely coming sometime on Tuesday.
- Players re-certify as a union on Wednesday, and vote to ratify the lockout
- Owners vote on the lockout on Thursday
- Teams are allowed a 72 hour period on Friday, July 22nd to re-sign their own free agents as well as undrafted rookies.
- Free agency/trading period opens on July 25th for all unrestricted and restricted free agents
Shortly after this, training camp for most all teams will begin. The date of a supplemental draft still has yet to be set, and it remains to be seen whether or not the league will actually have one. For now, though, the Hall of Fame game is still in place, and it seems as though business could be back to normal if this process plays out as it does above.
Is it too simple to get done? We will soon find out.