DALLAS (AP) — The NFL and its players’ union are holding their first formal bargaining session in more than two months.
Saturday’s meeting at a Dallas hotel came one day before the Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium and was not expected to last more than a couple of hours. The full negotiating teams last sat down face-to-face on Nov. 22.
Two more sessions are scheduled for next week.
The current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of the day March 3, and the union expects owners to lock out players if a new deal isn’t reached by then.
The major issues are how to divide about $9 billion in annual revenues; the owners’ push to expand the regular season to 18 games and reduce the preseason by two games; a rookie wage scale; and benefits for retired players.
