NFL.com reports that another round of “secret talks” is scheduled for this week in Minnesota, the home state of court-appointed mediator Judge Arthur Boylan.
Previous meetings between the sides that were supposed to be secret have taken place in suburban Chicago, on Long Island, outside Washington, DC and near Boston.
Numerous reports have indicated that progress is being made, but both sides have been quiet about specific details because the talks are supposed to remain confidential.
There has been speculation that a deal could be struck by early July, but any delays could become disastrous for the start of training camps. The St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears, slated to open the preseason in the Hall of Fame Game, are scheduled to open their camps July 23.
While the talks apparently continue, both sides are still awaiting a decision from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on the legality of the lockout, which began March 12 after talks toward a new collective bargaining agreement broke down and the players’ association decertified.
Players filed suit against the NFL and all 32 of its teams and a judge in Minneapolis ruled against the owners and lifted the lockout in late April. That led to an appeal by owners and a permanent stay of the lower court’s order by the Eighth Circuit in May, which reinstated the lockout.
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