The NFL Lockout Lift Ratchets Up the NFL Trade Rumors Amidst Mass Confusion
The game of football is very cut and dry. You get the ball into the end zone and push people out of your way to get there.
Certainly no rocket scientists are needed to explain the rules…but you may need one to figure out the latest piece of news regarding the lockout.
On Monday U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson ordered an immediate end to the lockout, taking the players side in the fight with the owners.
Trying to divide up $ 9 billion has never been so hard.
Can free agents start signing with teams starting tomorrow? Yahoo! Sports Dave Campbell has more:
It could invoke the 2010 rules for free agency, meaning players would need six seasons of service before becoming unrestricted free agents when their contracts expire; previously, it was four years. The requirement for unrestricted free agents would be four years rather than the three years before 2010. There also was no salary cap in 2010, meaning teams could spend as much— or as little—as they wanted.
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Huh?
Basically, the NFL has no rules in place regarding free agency and players with six years of tenure in the league are free to do what they want. But players with five or less years in the NFL are still unable to make a move on their own.
Attorney for the players Jim Quinn warns the NFL that they must do something about this fast:
They better act quickly, because as of right now there’s no stay and, presumably, players could sign with teams. There are no guidelines as of right now, so they have to put something in place quickly.
So technically teams can make trades and free agent signings starting on Tuesday—unless the NFL quickly makes a new rule.
They did react to today’s decision by filing a appeal questioning if the district court went out of his jurisdiction, seeking the help of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.
The whole situation is compounded by the fact that players around the league can show up to team facilities and workout—collecting their workout bonuses in the process—or at least they can in theory.
It’s a confusing situation that may truly take a rocket scientist to figure out. All we know right now is the lockout of the players is over for the time being and we may see a few trades and free agent signings in the next 24-hours.
Tomorrow is shaping up to be quite the eventful day for the NFL.