NFL Lockout could End Monday with Expected Players' Vote

The National Football League and NFL Players Association appeared headed for an end to the four-month lockout with the players poised for a possible vote Monday on a 10-year labor agreement, the league website said Sunday.

Negotiators on both sides resumed work Sunday on the final details of the pact and plans were in place for the NFLPA executive committee to meet in Washington on Monday, according to a report posted on nfl.com.

Club owners approved a deal Thursday that they sent to the players, who needed additional time to go over the document and negotiate some of the final details.

Should the players' executive committee approve the deal, it would be passed on to the 32 player representatives, one from each NFL club, to vote on the settlement.

Eventually, all 1,900 players would have to vote on returning the NFLPA to union status in order to settle issues requiring further collective bargaining. The players voted to decertify the union in March in order to sue the league in federal court under antitrust law.

The NFL's Hall of Fame game has already been called off, but a timely agreement could still save four full weeks of scheduled preseason games.

Sources involved in the negotiations said it would still be possible that the league year would start on Wednesday and training camps could open by Friday, the NFL website said.

Owners, who approved their draft of the agreement by 31-0 with the Oakland Raiders abstaining, would also have to sign off on the new collective bargaining agreement language.

The major economic framework for a 10-year deal was worked out a week ago, including how the $9 billion-plus in annual league revenues would be divided.

The new deal would give owners about 53 percent of the revenues and 47 percent to players, instead of the 50-50 split in the old agreement.

Clubs would have a salary cap of about $120 million for salary and bonuses in 2011. The salary system will rein in spending on first-round draft picks.

The lockout, called in March by the owners after the previous collective bargaining agreement elapsed, marked the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987.