Player reps from all 32 NFL teams are currently discussing the proposed collective bargaining agreement at the NFLPA's headquarters in Washington D.C. After the discussion is complete, a vote is expected to be held to approve the new CBA, although nothing is set in stone, according to Kevin Mawae, the NFLPA's president.
"We're not tied to a timeline of July 21 (when the owners are scheduled to meet in Atlanta). Our timeline is to get a deal that's best for the players -- today, tomorrow or whatever it might be," Mawae said.
While Mawae's comments make it sound like nothing could happen today, the expectation is for the players to have voted on the proposed deal by the time tomorrow's NFL owners meeting begins in Atlanta. There isn't much concern over it not being approved, even after reports came out yesterday suggesting that the individual plaintiffs in the Brady v. NFL case could seek special compensation and hold things up.
The reports ended up causing some serious backlash toward guys like Vincent Jackson, Drew Brees, Logan Mankins and Peyton Manning, and today the tone has changed drastically. Mawae says this is about getting the best deal for all players, not just four guys, so that does not appear to be a possible stumbling block any longer.
Once the vote is held, all the players need is a majority to approve the new deal. This would put us one step away from having a new CBA go into effect. All that would be left is for the owners to ratify it on Thursday in a vote that requires the approval of at least 24 of the 32 owners.
UPDATE: Apparently not all 32 team reps are in D.C. FOX Sports Detroit's Ryan Field says he ran into Kyle Vanden Bosch at Somerset Mall today. Weird.