With the rookie salary cap essentially in place, the NFL and NFLPA* can move on to other issues when they reconvene Friday morning. One of the trickiest items still on the table remains the concept of right of first refusal idea for this year’s free agent class.
Mark Maske of the Washington Post and the Breer/La Canfora team from NFL.com both write that the owners are still seeking the right of first refusal for up to three free agents for 2011.
NFL.com calls it an issue on which “the players won’t relent.” (And they shouldn’t.)
Perhaps ownership is still just using it as a bargaining chip, hoping to get something back for giving the issue up. (Florio believes that’s the case.) It appeared that it was the ownership’s turn to relent on closing the rookie wage scale, and that happened on Thursday.
We can only hope for Friday to bring similar progress.