NFL Rumors: Owners, Player Leadership Hope to Finalize CBA Before Season's End

The NFL Players Association and owners may have an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement before the end of the 2019 season. 

According to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the two sides are "expected to resume formal bargaining talks within the next few weeks, with hopes of finalizing a new collective bargaining agreement before the league's 100th season ends—though a lot of work remains."

The current agreement is set to expire after the 2020 season.

Outside of a number of smaller issues, the main divide remains owners wanting to add regular-season games without losing revenue streams and players wanting a larger slice of the revenue pie without adding games, per Pelissero and Rapoport.

Players currently receive 47 percent of total league revenue.

On Thursday, Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic reported owners were no longer pursuing an 18-game regular season, instead looking to move to 17 games. Per that report, they would then decrease the preseason by a game or two.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed league owners were attempting to add games to the regular season, per Patrik Walker of CBS Sports: "We certainly have a lot of work to do, but as a part of it, and as part of looking at the preseason. ... It makes a lot of sense to have additional regular games, [and] maybe additional playoff games. So, that's what you're reading there in context with that."

Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy said owners could look to alter the season in other ways, including by adding playoff teams.

"We're looking at the overall structure of the season," he told Kaplan. "And quite honestly, our preseason is not very good... I would be very concerned about the health and safety aspects of adding two regular-season games. And so I think there's a number of things we're looking at. I think also [is] the possibility of expanding the playoffs."

Pelissero and Rapoport reported that going from 12 to 14 playoff teams was the more likely change than a 17-game regular season, adding that players would want "significant economic concessions" to consider adding another game of wear and tear to their bodies.

There are also reportedly "tentative agreements" in place on "issues involving benefits, raising minimum salaries, improving former player healthcare, workplace rules, how grievances are handled, health and safety, etc.," per Pelissero and Rapoport.

Additionally, both sides are "on board with making the jointly negotiated [marijuana] policy less punitive, sources say."