Sides have breakthrough in talks, close in on rookie wage scale

[Denver Native (Carol)]

NEW YORK -- When NFL owners meet in seven days in Atlanta, the hope is that they will have a completed proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement on which to vote.

There is still plenty of work to be done, and it continued during negotiations Thursday morning. But the two sides are closing in on an agreement for a new rookie wage scale, according to a source, and it appears it could be solved soon if the parties can work out a few remaining minor issues.

The owners have made concessions regarding the fifth-year compensation for rookies, sources told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora, marking the breakthrough in negotiations that failed to materialize over the last week of meetings in Manhattan. Sources tell Breer that players made concessions on rules preventing renegotiations by draftees until after their third year and undrafted players until after two years.

Sources additionally tell La Canfora that negotiations are scheduled to go past midnight on Thursday. Talks are ongoing, and for now both sides expect to be back at the table on Friday morning. It is unclear at this point if the face-to-face talks would continue into the weekend, with the owners and players yet to decide that part of the schedule.

Even with several other issues left to resolve, a solution to the rookie wage scale would provide a critical step toward expediting the process before the sides can agree to terms and begin drawing up legal documents. One source estimated that if full closure on rookie wages is reached Thursday, there was "a 50/50 chance" the sides could have a handshake deal in place to present to U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan at their scheduled mediation Tuesday in Minneapolis.

full article - http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d820c4ab6/article/sides-have-breakthrough-in-talks-close-in-on-rookie-wage-scale?module=HP11_headline_stack

[Denver Native (Carol)]

With a deal in place on the rookie wage scale, the NFL and the players apparently are moving quickly toward a full and complete CBA.

Sal Paolantonio of ESPN (via Chris Mortensen’s Twitter page) reports that a settlement is now on the fast track. Chris Mortensen of ESPN (via Chris Mortensen’s Twitter page) reports that, at the current pace, a deal could come within the next 24-to-48 hours.:elefant:

Per Mort,”[e]ven skeptical participants among negotiating teams are almost stunned at momentum resolving remaining issues.”

rest of article - http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/14/stunning-momentum-puts-settlement-on-fast-track/related/

[broncobryce]

Thank God. It's about time to get back to business.

[Traveler]

Does anyone know what Denver's situation is salary cap wise? How far are we under? John Clayton is reporting the cap figure will be set at $120 million.

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Does anyone know what Denver's situation is salary cap wise? How far are we under? John Clayton is reporting the cap figure will be set at $120 million.

Found the following - don't know if it is accurate or not:


Salary cap report, if there were a salary cap
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on March 14, 2010, 1:39 PM EDT

Denver Broncos: $105 million.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/03/14/salary-cap-report-if-there-were-a-salary-cap/

[Denver Native (Carol)]

With the sides working at a frenzied pace, they reached a tentative agreement to make the 2011 salary cap $120 million, a source told ESPN.com NFL senior writer John Clayton.

The players have been willing to accept a $141 million player cost number per team since February. By agreeing to a $120 million cap, the players are allowing $21 million a team in benefits. Now that a cap number has been formed, both sides are talking about the minimum cash payroll number.

The $120 million cap would represent a decrease of roughly $3 million per team from 2009, which was the last season a salary cap was in place.

Because 2010 was an uncapped year, the $120 million cap could cause problems for teams such as Dallas, Pittsburgh and others that are over the cap. Thus, one of the cap provisions being discussed is giving each team a one-player cap exemption so there isn't a large bloodletting, a source told Clayton. That exemption would be a $3 million charge in 2011 that would count against benefits, and not the actual cap and would save the job of an existing player, a source said. That exemption could drop to $1.5 million the next season.

The exemption transition would be similar to the minimum salary benefit that allows teams to sign a veteran player to a one-year contract at a greatly reduced cap number.

much more in article on other points - http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6768521/nfl-lockout-owners-players-moving-cba-settlement-source-says

[HORSEPOWER 56]

Does anyone know what Denver's situation is salary cap wise? How far are we under? John Clayton is reporting the figure is set at $120 million.

It's tough to find any concrete numbers but as far as I know at the end of 2010 we were around $61 million before re-signing Champ and Vickerson. We'll be well below the cap when FA starts, probably in the order of $40 million to spend. That also doesn't count things like a possible restructure of Dawkins' contract (which many think will happen). I doubt we'll give Dawkins $6 million this year.

McDaniels stripped this team of talent, but he also cut a lot of big salaries with it. Hopefully with the new rookie cap, Von Miller's deal will be manageable and we'll be in serious competition for some DT talent in FA.

No more over-the-hill bums! No more wasted money on washed-up FAs! Spend the money to get guys entering their prime and not leaving it!

[SoCalImport]

Found the following - don't know if it is accurate or not:



http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/03/14/salary-cap-report-if-there-were-a-salary-cap/

Found this: same issue. not sure how accurate it is. Looks like Dallas, Green Bay and the Jets are the worst off if the cap did suddenly drop to 120 mil.

http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Sports/nfl-salaries.php

[Denver Native (Carol)]

Found this: same issue. not sure how accurate it is. Looks like Dallas, Green Bay and the Jets are the worst off if the cap did suddenly drop to 120 mil.

http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Sports/nfl-salaries.php

If this one is accurate, the Broncos are over:

NFL Denver Team Salaries $ 125 million

[FanInAZ]

Found this: same issue. not sure how accurate it is. Looks like Dallas, Green Bay and the Jets are the worst off if the cap did suddenly drop to 120 mil.

http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Sports/nfl-salaries.php

Being that I never heard of this site, I went snooping around there in order to find out who they are. Here is what they say about themselves:


Altiusdirectory is the perfect place to evaluate any website. When choosing to buy or sell a website having the proper information about your investment can be crucial to your success. Altiusdirectory is dedicated to finding all pertinent information that may pertain to your personal interest. And it's FREE! We hope that you find Altiusdirectory helpful and that you will return when you need us again. The information offered by Altiusdirectory is not guaranteed to be 100% Accurate and is offered as reference only. Further research and conformation of claims are advised before any substantial investment.

http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Siteinfo/

[HORSEPOWER 56]

Found the following - don't know if it is accurate or not:



http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/03/14/salary-cap-report-if-there-were-a-salary-cap/

I'm pretty sure those were last year's numbers before the end of the season. We cleared a ton of space at the end of the year releasing J Wall, Bannan, and Dan Graham.

[TXBRONC]

I thought we were well under the cap limit anyway? :whoknows:

[MileHighCrew]

Have to love the rookie cap comes in the year we have to sign the #2 pick.

I too have read the Broncos we way under but I don't have a link. I was reading one of those possible landing spot articles and they talked about how much money the Broncos have.

[Nomad]

Have to love the rookie cap comes in the year we have to sign the #2 pick.

I too have read the Broncos we way under but I don't have a link. I was reading one of those possible landing spot articles and they talked about how much money the Broncos have.

So does this mean teams don't have to pay the ridiculous amounts to unproven rookies and can use it to pay their proven veterans?!?

[MileHighCrew]

So does this mean teams don't have to pay the ridiculous amounts to unproven rookies and can use it to pay their proven veterans?!?

From what I have been reading YES. But we will have to wait until it is all signed to see for sure