NFL Owners to Consider Latest Offer by Players

In a last-ditch effort to end a standoff, NFL owners will meet today in Dallas to consider the latest offer by the NFL Players Assn.

The free-agency deadline, twice postponed by 72 hours to allow for further negotiations, is Wednesday at 9 p.m. PST. Barring another deadline extension, new rules will go into effect if no agreement is reached. By increasing the impact of each contract on the salary cap, the rules would make it more difficult to sign players to large deals and stockpile top talent.

Despite reports that the owners will vote on the offer today, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said there was a good chance the meeting would carry over until Wednesday.

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFLPA, met in New York on Monday to complete the so-called term sheet that will be presented to the owners. Aiello said the proposal was a modified version of the one the union presented last week. Over the six-year term of the agreement, the players had asked for 60% of all revenue -- four percentage points more than the owners were offering.