NFL owners to opt out of CBA?

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Chris Mortenson seems to think it's very likely

NFL owners might opt out of the existing labor agreement as soon as Tuesday when they hold their next meetings in Atlanta, according to league sources.

One management source called it a "high likelihood" that the owners will exercise their option to terminate the agreement, which will trigger a number of alternatives, including a potential work stoppage by 2011. Another source said "be prepared" for the action, although it was "not a 100 percent proposition yet."

An NFL Players Association source said, "We expect it to happen."

If the owners were to opt out of the current CBA, it could lead to an uncapped year in 2010. Don't expect to see teams splashing the cash too much though, as players would need 6 years instead of the current 4 to reach unrestricted free agency. All of these safeguards were built in to basically force the owners and players to work out a new deal if one side opted out

Neither side really want to see any of this happen and they would have the entire 08 and 09 seasons to try to work out a new deal. If this were to drag on, there's a chance of a work stoppage in 2011.

The owners feel the deal is too "one sided"

Several owners have complained that the current deal, which gives 60 percent of the revenues to the players, has been too one-sided. It was done at the last moment and was the last major act of former commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who managed to put together a coalition of high-revenue, middle-revenue and low-revenue teams to ratify the contract.

Only two low revenue teams, Cincinnati and Buffalo, voted against it.

Since then, however, high-revenue owners, such as New England's Robert Kraft, have also supported negotiating for a new deal. And if a vote is taken, 24 of the 32 teams would have to vote to extend it, something that is highly unlikely to happen.

The Eagles are certainly among those high revenue teams and Jeff Lurie is known to be good friends with Bob Kraft. I would not at all surprised to hear that the Eagles were one of the teams strongly pushing for a new deal. There's also been suggestions that the current state of the economy is making it tough for teams like the Giants and Cowboys to build their new stadiums due to "rising bond rates." In other words, they need some money and a more favorable labor agreement could provide it.