Source: Agreement remains close at hand

Negotiators for the NFL and the league's players made further progress Friday, but didn't announce an agreement in principle on a new collective bargaining agreement despite continued optimism on both sides.

"The discussions this week have been constructive and progress has been made on a wide range of issues," the NFL and NFL Players Association said in a joint statement after another round of talks in New York. "Our legal and financial teams will continue to work through the weekend. We will continue to respect the confidentiality orders of Chief Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, and will therefore refrain from commenting on specific issues or aspects of the negotiations."

The statement said there would be "additional information as developments in this process continue."

With the thorny issue of the rookie salary structure hashed out on Thursday, it appears only an unexpected snag in negotiations stands in the way of a new agreement, perhaps as soon as next week. The league's lockout has lasted 122 days, but people familiar with the negotiations told Newsday Friday that a new deal remains very close at hand. "Still a few picky things to work through, but we are headed there [toward an agreement]," a source familiar with the negotiations said.

Two people briefed on the negotiations said the major financial issues have been worked out, and that the salary cap will return for the 2011 season at somewhere between $120 and $123 million. The 2010 season did not have a salary cap because the league opted out of the collective bargaining agreement in 2008, triggering the removal of the cap in 2010. The 2009 salary cap was $123 million.

"It's looking good," said a players' source familiar with the negotiations. When asked if he thought an agreement was imminent, he replied: "Wouldn't be [as surprising] as 1980 Olympic Hockey," he said, referring to the United States' gold medal victory in Lake Placid. That source had previously expressed skepticism about the direction of the talks before the start of the lockout.

According to a league source, the NFL's request for a right of first refusal for as many as three veteran free agents per team in 2011 is now part of litigation settlement talks. Teams are now expected to have a three-day signing period for all of their free agents and a right of first refusal is not anticipated.

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Boylan, the court appointed mediator, has been on vacation all week, leaving the two sides to negotiate for the first time since February without a mediator. After league and player attorneys met Monday and Tuesday, a full contingent of negotiators met Wednesday through Friday and hammered out many of the key provisions of a new deal. One of the biggest remaining issues is settling the antitrust litigation filed against the league by 10 players, including star quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, and Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora. Boylan is expected to oversee that process, and has called for a mediation session in Minneapolis on Tuesday. However, it's possible he might meet the two sides in New York instead.

Owners are then set to meet in Atlanta on Thursday, and will vote on the deal, as long as all the details have been ironed out. Once an agreement has been announced, players can then go about the process of re-forming the union, which had decertified on March 11, and vote.

It's possible that the league can re-open as soon as next weekend, with teams having a period of days to re-sign their own free agents and draft picks, before unrestricted free agency begins. Almost all training camps would then open on time.