NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith for the first time publicly said that an 18-game schedule is "off the negotiating table" in CBA talks with the NFL. Smith, speaking before about 100 fans during a joint event with WJFK-FM at the union's DC office, was "categorical that the players won't expand the regular season from 16 to 18 games." Smith later said, "The league has never presented a formal proposal for 18 games. But more importantly, it's something that our players don't want" (SI.com, 3/9).
Sources said that the two sides "have reached a basic compromise on a rookie wage scale." The owners reportedly "backed off the idea of requiring first-round picks to sign five-year deals, instead limiting the contracts to four years." The league also "agreed that all players drafted after the first round would be limited to three-year deals, but teams would be allowed to put restricted free agent tags after the three years" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/9). However, the Washington Post’s Mark Maske on Twitter reported, “Sources on both sides of dispute say there's no agreement yet on a rookie wage scale” (TWITTER.com, 3/9).
