National Football League

NFL, union agree to more talks

Published Jan. 31, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

After a contentious past few weeks, it appears the NFL and the players union are ready to talk again.

The NFL and the NFL Players Association released a joint statement regarding the negotiations of the collective bargaining agreement, saying commissioner Roger Goodell and union chief DeMaurice Smith met in New York on Monday and "agreed to hold a formal bargaining session with both negotiating teams on Saturday in the Dallas area. They also agreed to a series of meetings over the next few weeks, both formal bargaining sessions and smaller group meetings, in an effort to reach a new agreement by early March.”

The current collective bargaining agreement lasts through March 3. With time running out, both sides have become more public with their feelings. Goodell wrote a letter to fans earlier this month about the labor situation, and the NFLPA has created a video advertisement to advocate its position.

Besides money, a major sticking point has been the owners' wish to expand the regular season to 18 games. Owners support lengthening the regular season, while players want more concessions for playing more games that could potentially shorten their careers.

While it's not known if any progress has been made, the sides are talking and have more meetings scheduled in the near future.