Labor issues cloud NFL's future

The NFL is two years away from a potential work stoppage, plenty of time for the owners and union to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, right? Maybe not. And what would an uncapped year in 2010 bring? Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league executives emphasize that football will be played - guaranteed - for two more seasons. Union chief DeMaurice Smith and his associates stress that with no collective bargaining agreement in place after the 2011 Super Bowl, the owners might lock them out. Regardless of the rhetoric, one thing is clear: Pro football is closing in on meaningful deadlines, with no serious negotiations having taken place. ``Listen, I think everybody in the NFL wants to play,'' Goodell says. ``The owners want to play, the players want to play. It's our job to get a deal done. That's why I keep saying a lockout is not a strategy, nor an objective. What we want to do is get an agreement that works for the players and the coaches and the game and allows (us) to continue to grow it.'' The owners claim revenues are not growing fast enough to keep up with the payments they make to the players. Jeff Pash, the league's chief counsel, says 75 percent of new revenues have gone to the players since a new CBA was reached in 2006, and the owners opted out of that agreement last year. Meanwhile, the players say the system isn't broken because the 32 teams aren't losing money - 19 of them are worth at least $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine's annual survey, and the estimated annual revenues approach $8 billion. ``When the issue is dollars, economics, and one side is saying economics are not good, it's up to them to give evidence that those economics have changed and there is reason for concern,'' says NFLPA general counsel Richard Berthelsen. ``But that has not happened.'' The union wants to see the teams' books for concrete proof the NFL is financially strapped. No team has indicated a willingness to do that, nor is it likely any will. Goodell and Smith have had some informal meetings, and hard negotiations could begin at any time. Although March 2011 would seem to be the absolute deadline to reach an agreement, the cutoff to avoid potential mayhem realistically is a year earlier than that. Next March, if a CBA has not been reached, the league will have its first season since 1993 without a salary cap. Nobody can argue that the cap has not worked for both sides, with player salaries spiraling - the current cap is $123 million, up from $34.6 that first year - and competitive balance in the standings. Would teams such as the Jaguars, Titans, Bills and even the community-owned Packers be competitive without a cap? We might find out in 2010 if there is no spending ceiling and no minimum, either. ``If a team wants to win, there would be no limit on spending dollars to bring in players to get to the Super Bowl, and we all think we know who those teams are,'' Berthelsen says. ``If an owner is not interested in competing, he can go on the cheap. But I think that would be the exception rather than the rule. ``If past is prologue, the players' piece of the pie would get larger, which is what happened in 1993.'' But an uncapped year will also bring bigger limitations on free agency, mainly that a player would need six years of service to be unrestricted rather than the current four. The top eight teams of the 2009 season - the divisional-round playoff teams - would also be limited in how many free agents they could sign. Each club would be allowed to use a transition tag on a second player, giving that team right of first refusal to match an offer sheet from another club. Also, the minimum salary for individual players would rise at a slower rate in an uncapped season than in a capped year. ``It's really meant to be a yellow light,'' Pash explains. ``Rather than run all the way to an expiration, we have this transition year and no one will be really happy with it, so let's try not to get to it. Let's try to enter into an extension early and keep the deal going.'' Considering the mayhem that could accompany an uncapped year, it would seem logical that both sides would be eager to get moving on negotiations. ``We have not put a line in the sand that if this doesn't happen by such and such a date, there will be major consequences,'' Pash says. ``I never believed that 'take it or leave it' works, especially when we're dealing with a long-term relationship. ``It's not like buying or selling a house. I think that the focus should not be on 'drop dead dates' and ultimatums, but let's accelerate what we are doing. Let's spend the time we need to work through these issues. ``I am always optimistic. With people with good will and a common goal, you can make a lot of progress.'' So far, though, there's been little progress. Being in the midst of a deep recession doesn't help, of course. The union also is dealing with a messy lawsuit about alleged collusion with the league by some NFLPA members and former executives. The fans? They want to hear about TDs and shutouts, not CBAs and lockouts. ``As each week of the season goes by without a proposal, the tougher it gets,'' Berthelsen admits. ``The players want to play, they think the partnership has been beneficial for both sides. We are with the fans, we want to see football played.''