SmashMouth

The NFL and NFL Players Association have negotiated an acceptable labor deal. The NFLPA now must officially accept it, or reject it. And the clock is ticking.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the league has given the union a “rough deadline” of March 18 for accepting the current proposal, premised on a 17-game regular season. If the offer isn’t accepted, talks will be tabled indefinitely.

The message is clear: The league is taking the position that the deal isn’t getting any better, so don’t come back and ask for more. Take it or leave it. And if you leave it, a lockout may happen in 2021. The lockout likely will last until the players accept a 17-game arrangement while on the brink of missing game checks.

So if the players will eventually take the best offer on the table before losing any real money, why not take the best offer that’s on the table now? That’s the question that the NFLPA needs to address when the Executive Committee and the board of player representatives meet today in, per multiple reports, Los Angeles.

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I am kind of hoping for a lockout...