Last Tuesday, PFT reported that the NFL and NFL Players Association had engaged in settlement talks in connection with the Tom Brady suspension. Since then, multiple other similar reports have emerged.
Most recently, multiple reports have indicated that talks have resumed, in the wake of the NFLPA reportedly offering that Brady would consider an outcome entailing no suspension but including a fine. (That’s not an admission of guilt by Brady.)
It remains unlikely that an agreement will be reached, because Brady by all appearances is poised to fight tooth and nail for a zero-game suspension. Likewise, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has no good way out of the corn maze (absent the use of teeth and/or nails), with anything less than a four-game suspension opening him up to criticism both internally and externally.
Either way, the Patriots need a decision before they open training camp on Thursday, because they need to know whether and to what extent backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo should be prepared to play in September.
There’s still a chance Brady ultimately will play in September, either because he wins in court before Week One or because a court presses pause on any suspension until the litigation is resolved.