Labor optimism has spread throughout the NFL this Friday. Lions linebacker Zack Follett says he’s gearing up to return to work.
“Just received word it would be the 25th of July we would be able to report back if a deal got done . . . Pending approval by all parties,” Follett wrote via Twitter.
Based on the timeline we passed along earlier this week, this sounds about right. July 28 is the rough target for when free agency would start, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if facilities are open a little earlier than that.
Somehow, we don’t feel right enjoying all this apparent good news until an agreement is actually announced.