I know you've all heard this before, but it looks like NFL players could vote on the proposed collective bargaining agreement as soon as Monday. The hope originally was for the vote to take place last Wednesday, but nothing happened, which is why the lockout is still in effect.
Based on the progress being made this weekend, the new hope is for the players' vote to occur on Monday. Nothing has been scheduled yet, but the expectation, according to ESPN, is for the players' executive committee to vote on Monday. If the vote results in the proposed CBA being accepted, the 32 player reps would then vote. If they also approve it, the NFL and its players would be on track to get back to work later in the week.
Specifically, players from some teams would be asked to report to camp on Wednesday and other teams' players would report on Friday. While physically at the team facilities across the country, the players would vote on recertification. All that's needed for the NFLPA to recertify is a "50-percent-plus-one-vote majority." If the vote produced that, the NFLPA would officially be a union again and the new CBA would go into effect.
If everything goes according to plan, teams could begin negotiations with their free agents and rookies as early as Wednesday. Free agency would be scheduled to start on Saturday, and we could officially start looking ahead to the upcoming season instead of worrying about the restraints of a lockout.