Source: 'We're Nowhere' on NFL CBA Talks

INDIANAPOLIS -- NFL players' union chief DeMaurice Smith addressed agents in an annual meeting here Friday at the scouting combine. But several agents who were in the meeting said Smith didn't get into the specifics of the mediated collective bargaining negotiations that took place over the previous seven days in Washington, D.C.

One reason Smith withheld specifics was his concern that agents would leak the information to the media. But the more important reason is that, in spite of speculative optimism that emerged from the fact that the two sides were actually meeting, there just isn't very much to update.

"The truth is, we're nowhere," a person who'd been briefed on the talks told FanHouse on condition of anonymity. "Nothing has changed."

The fact that the league and the players agreed to and sustained seven days of talks in the presence of federal mediator George Cohen had given hopeful football fans reason to think the league might be able to avoid a lockout. Even Thursday, when Cohen issued a statement saying "strong differences" remained between the sides on core issues, many chose to focus instead on the less relevant news that the mediation would continue Tuesday after the combine.

"The truth is, we're nowhere. Nothing has changed."
-- NFL source But FanHouse's source said nothing happened during the first seven days to move the sides anywhere closer to a resolution. Not one single NFL owner attended any of the seven sessions, meaning that there was never anyone in the room from the league's side with the authority to do a deal. The players remain steadfastly opposed to expanding the regular season to 18 games in the absence of major concessions that, so far, have not been offered. The two sides' proposals on a rookie wage scale remain very different in scope and concept. And there's been no movement at all on the most important issue of all -- the manner in which to split the league's $9 billion revenue pie.

And while Smith refused to comment on the negotiations, another source said his Friday speech to the agents reiterated what he's been saying for the past two years: He believes the owners intend to lock out the players Thursday night at midnight when the current deal ends. He believes that's been their plan all along.

"Obviously I'm not going to talk at all about the mediated sessions," Smith said in a short media briefing after the agent meeting. "The players, we want to get a deal done, and our hope is to reach a resolution as quickly as possible. I work for 1,800 guys who want to play football."

Shortly after Smith finished addressing the agents, four of the most powerful agents in the NFL -- Drew Rosenhaus, Joel Segal, Tom Condon and Ben Dogra -- emerged from the conference room together to address the media. Their message was that they and their players remain strongly behind Smith and the union leadership as they prepare for a lockout they still hope won't happen.

"Everyone is standing together," Rosenhaus said. "There's unity among agents, certainly among players. We think the union's position has been extremely fair and that the owners need to see that."

The agents said Smith had briefed them on the procedures that would be in place in the event of a lockout. Draft-eligible prospects, Condon said, would be able to have their pro days and meet with teams as they normally would, right up until the time they are drafted. But if there's a lockout, the players may have no contact with their teams after they are drafted. Teams would not be able to sign undrafted free agents at all. And normal free agency, which begins on the first day of the league year (which in this case would be next Friday) would not exist. The only free agents teams can sign right now are their own, and if they want to do that, they need to by Thursday night at midnight.

"There are some real problems for the teams here," Rosenhaus said. "There's no way for them to make themselves better. They can't sign guys. They're limited at draft time because they can only trade picks. The owners have significant issues and it is serious on their end."

Tough talk, for sure. But if Smith and the union are right, and the owners have been intending to impose a lockout all along, it's hard to believe continued mediated negotiations can really help. At this point, in order for any real progress to be made, something dramatic is going to have to happen to reduce one side's leverage.

For example, should Judge David Doty rule in favor of the players next week on the "lockout insurance" case, in which the union is challenging $4 billion in TV contracts that are guaranteed to pay off even if no games are played next year, the owners wouldn't have that money to help them through a prolonged lockout. That could, theoretically, make some in the ownership ranks more inclined to talk seriously about a deal.

On the other side, if a lockout is imposed on Friday, players would lose their health care coverage. They wouldn't receive March roster bonuses. They wouldn't have access to team facilities for the purpose of working out or rehabbing injuries. The reality of all of that could prompt players to pressure union leadership to make more concessions than they're currently inclined to make.

The agents, of course, insist this will not be the case.

"As soon as DeMaurice Smith got this job in 2009, the NFLPA started sending out a lot of communication telling players to be prepared," Rosenhaus said. "And our players have done that."

It looks as if we'll get a chance to find out just how prepared the players are for a lockout. Because as much as ever, it looks certain that a lockout is about to happen.