Doesn't mean it will happen, but owners pushing for an extension of talks. Players willing if owners make some concessions.
CBA negotiations are ongoing between the NFL and NFLPA. According to Adam Schefter's three sources, talks are heating up that an extension may be agreed upon, allowing the two sides to communicate after 11:59 pm EST, tonight. This extension ("stopping the clock", according to some pundits) wouldn't help either side get closer to reaching a deal, but it would ensure that talks continue and, hopefully, an agreement can be reached in the near future. The NFLPA has openly stated that they will decertify if no deal or extension is reached.
According to NFL.com, the extension could be signed and completed by this afternoon, at the earliest. There aren't any indications of how well the negotiations are going, at this point, and this news that the owners are pushing for an extension makes me think it's unlikely that a new CBA will be agreed upon today. On the other hand, if both sides can push this extension through the proper channels in one day, that should give us all a bit of confidence that the two sides are capable of working together.
Update:
Extension of CBA deadline talks said to be "legit but fragile'' according to source in the room.
Just like everything else in this negotiation, things aren't always as easy as they seem. Just when we thought that there was some momentum to extend the deadline, a source tells Don Banks that the owners have tried to push an extension, but there doesn't appear to be a large consensus of support from all parties.
Update:
Sources tell me the mediator is driving the push for the CBA deadline extension.
Another 5 minutes goes by and another bit of information comes out.