ATLANTA -- NFL owners voted unanimously Tuesday to shorten their collective bargaining agreement with the players' union.
That doesn't mean a work stoppage is in the offing -- that would come three seasons from now in the absence of a new deal. But what it does mean is that the 2010 season will be played without a salary cap if the sides cannot reach an agreement before then.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the vote was "a very clear signal that the ownership doesn't believe this deal is working, and it's important for us all to sit down at the table and try to address the matters that aren't working for the ownership."
Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Assn., said he wasn't surprised by the owners opting out and believes the league did so for three main reasons: clubs feel they're being penalized for new stadiums, the absence of a rookie wage structure, and the ability of underperforming players to keep their bonuses.
A look at some of the issues surrounding the deal gone bad:
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Real estate realities
Those glistening new stadiums aren't cheap, and owners say they're spending so much on players that they're having a hard time paying off their palaces. The players counter that they helped pay for those new and renovated venues by allowing the league to keep some of its premium-seat revenue to offset refurbishing costs, most recently in Carolina, Baltimore and Atlanta. The owners say the players are reaping the benefits of higher revenue generated by new stadiums without taking the risk of shouldering that debt.
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One more for the road (or home)
Among the potential solutions the league is considering is shortening the exhibition season from four games to three and adding a 17th regular-season game. That would generate more TV revenue, which would benefit both sides, and help the league take care of its preseason problem of meaningless games featuring players who won't even make the final roster.
So how would the league balance a team's home/away schedule with an odd number of games? Goodell said one solution would be to give AFC teams an extra home game one season, and NFC teams an extra home game the next.
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Show me the money
Upshaw said the union isn't going to take on face value that team owners are in "dire straits," and that players might look differently at the situation if they got a chance to look at the audited books of teams.
