CBA Progress (or Lack thereof)

[CRedskinsRule]

One of the biggest storylines over the next month and a half will be what progress, if any, is reached in the CBA negotiations. Will they have any chance of avoiding an uncapped year? A lockout next year?

Well, NYG owner Mara has made the first public statement of an owner, and it is not a very positive one:

Giants’ John Mara Cites Lack of Progress in Labor Talks - NYTimes.com

Mara said he still had hope that a lockout could be averted.

“I don’t think we’re making any progress,” Mara said in a telephone interview. “We made a proposal in early November. I don’t think we’ve received a meaningful counterproposal. The point that we try to make to them is that the costs and risks are much greater than they ever have been. Especially in this economy. I don’t think there has been enough of a recognition on their part of that concept.”

Mara added, “They want a deal that is equal to or better than the existing one, and that is not acceptable to us.”

According to the article the owners are also talking about a rookie salary cap that could be effective as early as this draft. (for what it's worth, the NFLPA president is on record as saying that is an issue for the owners, not a CBA negotiated fact, but that doesn't mean they want that money going anywhere other than players.)

From the article, uncapped seems inevitable, a lockout a very real possibility.