As NFL owners and players continue to work toward reaching a settlement on a new collective bargaining agreement, the league is busy preparing for Thursday's meeting in Atlanta. Owners from around the league are set to converge on Atlanta for the meeting that could end the lockout and ratify the new CBA (assuming one is agreed to, of course).
Because the new CBA is likely to be voted on at Thursday's meeting, the NFL sent out a memo to teams to inform them that more than just owners need to be in attendance.
The NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams Monday instructing key executives to attend Thursday's owners meeting in Atlanta, sources told Schefter. Each team will have two representatives (owner and one executive) in the room to vote on a CBA, if one is agreed to by players and owners. However, each team also will bring other front office personnel to the meeting to learn about the rules of a potential new CBA.
It shouldn't be too difficult to learn about the new rules considering so many details have already leaked out to the public, but the NFL wants to make sure everybody is on the same page. That is partly why free agency isn't going to start the second a new CBA is in place. The league wants to ensure the new rules are understood before any signings are made and the floodgates are opened.