NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, NFLPA leader DeMaurice Smith, along with owners and players association officials met Wednesday and Thursday in Chicago with federal mediator U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan to try to bridge some of their significant differences.

Later Thursday, Boylan canceled mediation sessions scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday in Minneapolis as the court said both sides are engaged in "confidential settlement discussions."

The two sides worked into the night Wednesday and continued talks Thursday before wrapping up the meeting in the early afternoon.

"The parties met pursuant to court mediation. Owners and players were engaged in confidential discussions before Chief Magistrate Judge Boylan. The court has ordered continued confidentiality of the mediation sessions," the NFL and NFLPA said in a joint statement released Thursday afternoon.

Clearly, one day before a scheduled hearing in St. Louis in front of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the two sides are making an effort to determine whether they can work out a settlement that eventually leads to football and a collective bargaining agreement. Thursday is Day 79 of the lockout, the longest work stoppage in NFL history.

One source said any potential deal still was a ways away; however, the hope would be that the two sides could reach an agreement sooner rather than later, potentially even later this month.

With the two sides needing to be in St. Louis on Friday, Chicago made sense as a logical meeting place. The Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones, the New England Patriots' Robert Kraft, the Carolina Panthers' Jerry Richardson, the New York Giants' John Mara and the Pittsburgh Steelers' Art Rooney were the owners present in Chicago along with Goodell.

NFLPA representatives at the meeting, besides Smith, included Kevin Mawae, the Kansas City Chiefs' Mike Vrabel, the Indianapolis Colts' Jeff Saturday, the New York Jets' Tony Richardson and the Baltimore Ravens' Domonique Foxworth.