This post was written by Matt Hamm

According to the very reliable Matt Barrows the 49ers have told their medical staff to be ready on Sunday to begin examining players. This is another of many indications that the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is close and NFL football is on the way! It has been reported that teams would have a few days to learn the finer details of the new CBA as well as a few days to sign un-drafted rookie free agents and their own free agents before they could sign any free agents from other teams.

Don’t expect the Tom Brady antitrust plaintiffs to delay the deal in any way. Vincent Jackson and Logan Mankins are believed to be seeking $10M or outright FA in the suit which must be settled before any CBA can become official. Look I know Jackson and Mankins are steadfast guys who held out into the regular season seeking long term deals last year. That was one thing, THEY were holding out. It would be flat out stupid to hold out on behalf of 1,900 players because YOU want to be a FA. No one or two players for that matter will put their image through that. Take a look at what “The Decision” did to Lebron James’ image, holding up a labor agreement; delaying training camp would crush these players maybe forever.