When will this Lockout End!

    Looking back in March both sides were meeting each other, trying to hammer out a new CBA before the deadline expired. They extended the deadline and it was beginning to look like progress was being made, but it was far from it. Only a week later both sides stopped talking, and the lockout officially began and now we are now 100 days into the NFL Lockout, and we are only now getting a small glimpse at the end of the tunnel. Finally in June real contact was made between players and officials and private meetings were held in "secret" locations throughout the East Coast. We have heard both sides are starting to get close, but we also have heard there are Owners holding back. We keep hearing different days of when the lockout could end, and when we possibly may have football again. All the speculation and rumors and reports only leads to the same question "When will this NFL Lockout end"


       A few months later a judge ruled the Lockout was not allowed, and it appeared this would be a sign of hope. Unfortunately it was short lived, and it took only a few hours before the Lockout was back on, and the still remained "Will we get football this year". On June 3rd the NFL and NFLPA went to court to get their ruling. The results a court mandated mediation session involving both sides, in secret locations. That now brings us to today June 20th, the 100th day of the Lockout. We listen and wait to find out if any progress is being made, if we will get FA soon, if there will be a pre-season, or even if we will get a full 16 game season. The answer remains the same "we don't know". There is minor progress made some new details are coming out about the new CBA, but with those same bright spots comes bad news. 7 owners are completely against it and won't sign off on anything. Whenever a new CBA is reached and agreed upon, the NFL as we know it will experience some new changes, but what will they be, and what is the big issue that is holding both sides so far apart.

Cam Newton would have made $50 million guaranteed
last year. With a new CBA he may only get 20



   Whenever this NFL Lockout does end, there will certainly be some new changes fans, players, coaches and owners will have to deal with. First on the list is the rookie wage scale. While one may not be put in place like the NBA, it is almost a certainty there will be BIG cuts. Last year 1st overall pick Sam Bradford collected a staggering $50 million dollar signing bonus without even taking a single snap in the NFL. Both veteran players and NFL Owners want that to go which is why, it likely will. A possible option could be cutting that down to $25 million, which would be a substantial difference for the pockets of NFL Owners. There is one difference in rookie contracts that separate both sides, players want shorter contracts no longer then 3 years, Owners are asking for 4 year deals. It is something that will be worked out leaving both sides happy, but there are many more issues that have raised mixed emotions.
 
       For one the issue of player safety, players want to know more will be done for them when they retire in football so they and their families can be more protected. Meanwhile Owners wanted a 17 game season, but that now appears to be out the window. The biggest issue however, still remains the sharing of the revenue. The Owners feel they need more of the revenue from the TV deals and that they deserve an increase in spending finances. The players are having a hard time giving the Billionaire owners more money. As of now the players share 57% of the the total revenue ($9 Billion yearly). It is the sticking point of any new CBA, and as the Owners and Roger Goodell continue to say it needs to be lowered, it appears neither side will budge. So we are left with 3 issues;(rookie salaries, player safety, and the big elephant revenue) and until all those issues are resolved we will continue to wait

     Until all of that is figured out the Lockout will continue, and that means FA's who usually would be getting pay checks are running broke, rookies are jobless, sports bars are less crowded, and every fan who loves the game of football is feeling a little depressed with the absence of the one thing they love, football. While Owners and Players continue to crawl through negotiations, fans are still waiting for this lockout to end. Everything will eventually be resolved the only question is, when will they be resolved?. Whenever that happens, it will mean a new CBA can be finalized, the lockout can be lifted for good and we can have football again. We are still a month away from any real concrete agreement, but from everything I have heard it will end in July. Whether or not you believe that is the question, because we have been deceived before. All we the fans want is football, and the sooner the NFL realizes that, the sooner a deal can get done.