Not a whole lot of substantial news has leaked out about the ongoing negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA due to a media blackout. Unlike past meetings, it seems the parties involved are actually doing a good job of keeping quiet, making it so both the media and fans are unsure of what exactly is going on behind the scenes.
NFL Network's Albert Breer has been all over this story all week, and the little news that's been out there has usually come from him. His latest report on the negotiations mentions that the two sides have met with federal mediator George Cohen for up to around 38 hours over five days so far, and there are plans to meet for at least two more days. It's possible that the meetings could continue beyond the originally planned seven days, but Cohen has a "prior commitment" on Friday.
Breer also reports that a meeting scheduled for Thursday with select agents at the combine was canceled. A mandatory meeting with all agents will be held as planned on Friday, and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reports the Thursday meeting was scrapped for the following reason:
In response to multiple reports that the NFLPA has decided to cancel a key meeting with a select group of agents on Thursday in Indianapolis to allow the union to devote Thursday to the ongoing talks, we’re told that the move came because Tuesday, the fifth straight day of negotiations, was a "big day" at the bargaining table.
With neither side talking very much about the negotiations, it's tough to get a read on just how much progress has been made. At the same time, it's tough to tell if the two sides are that much closer to a deal. Speculation certainly suggests that a new CBA is much closer than before these meetings started, so there's reason to be optimistic in that regard, but right now it's tough to tell if a deal is imminent or merely not completely out of the realm of possibility now.