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Someone from the league office apparently wants to create the impression that a new labor deal, which would include a 17-game season, is close between the NFL and the NFL Players Association. Someone from the other side of the bargaining table begs to differ.

Per a source with knowledge of the union’s perspective on the negotiations, a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is “not close.”

The report from Mark Maske of the Washington Post suggests that a new deal could come in early 2020. Our source says that a deal before the Super Bowl is highly unlikely, and that the current working deadline for the two sides is the start of the new league year in March 2020.

Also in March, the NFLPA will elect a new president and new members to its Executive Committee. Both the league and the union would like to get a deal done before a potential upheaval in NFLPA leadership could undo months of progress.