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For a handful of NFL franchises Michael Palardy Jersey , the slow time could soon be interrupted, thanks to the most important annual deadline applicable to the franchise tag.

The Steelers , the Cowboys, the Lions, and the Rams have until Monday, July 16, to work out long-term deals with running back Le'Veon Bell, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, defensive end Ziggy Ansah, and safety Lamarcus Joyner, respectively. If a long-term deal isn’t signed and approved by the league office before 4:00 p.m. ET on the 16th Tom Waddle Jersey , the window for doing a long-term closes until the 2018 regular season ends.

For Lawrence, Ansah, and Joyner (each of whom have signed the one-year franchise tender), it would put them each on track for a 20-percent raise in 2019 or a trip to the open market — absent a long-term deal with their current teams negotiated after the season ends. For Bell, who hasn’t signed the franchise tender, it means the quarterback franchise tag for 2019 or unrestricted free agency, absent a last-ditch effort to negotiate a long-term contract between the end of the regular season and the moment Bell signs elsewhere.

The Cowboys and Lawrence reportedly will talk this week. For the Lions, the indication consistently has been that they hope to assess Ansah in 2018 and make a long-term decision for 2019. The Rams would probably have a hard time giving big money to Joyner before finally extending the contract of defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who is a year away from the franchise-tag dance.

Bell remains the biggest name, and his situation presents the highest stakes. Last year, he exercised his prerogative to stay away from the team until Labor Day Tramaine Brock Jersey , which allowed him to apply maximum leverage while still getting his full $12.1 million salary. Until he signs the tender, the Steelers could rescind it.

That remains unlikely, but it would definitely put Bell in a tough spot, thrusting him onto the market long after the big money has been spent and the rosters have been set. The Steelers would do it only if they believe they can thrive without Bell. Few if any outside the organization do.

Still, if they don’t sign him to a long-term deal before July 16, the Steelers may end up having to find a way to thrive without Bell in 2019, and beyond.
The NFL Players Association filed a grievance with the league on Tuesday challenging its national anthem policy.

The union says that the new policy, which the league imposed without consultation with the NFLPA, is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement and infringes on players’ rights. The filing met a statute of limitations deadline and will be heard by an independent arbitrator, an NFLPA spokesman said.

In May, the NFL approved its national anthem policy at its owners meetings in Atlanta. The policy allows players to protest during the national anthem by staying in the locker room Calais Campbell Jersey , but forbids them from sitting or taking a knee if they’re on the field or the sidelines.

Teams will be subject to fines if players don’t comply and will have the option of punishing players.

When the league announced the policy, Commissioner Roger Goodell called it a compromise aimed at putting the focus back on football after a tumultuous year in which television ratings dipped nearly 10 percent; some blamed the protests for such a drop. The union said at that time that it would file a grievance against any change in the collective bargaining agreement.

The union said Tuesday it has proposed having its executive committee talking to the NFL instead of proceeding with litigation. The union said the NFL has agreed to those discussions.

The NFL declined to comment about the union’s action.

In 2016, then-49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick began protesting police brutality and social injustice by kneeling during the national anthem, and the demonstration spread to other players and teams. It became one of the most controversial and sensitive issues in the NFL, with players saying their messages last year were being misconstrued, while others – including President Donald Trump – called them unpatriotic. Trump even said NFL owners should fire any player who refused to stand during the anthem.

Following those comments, more than 200 players protested during the anthem that weekend before the number of protesters dwindled as the season progressed.

”We’re here for a bigger platform,” Raiders tight end Jared Cook said during the spring. ”We’re not just athletes. We’re people that live this. It’s people in our neighborhood, it’s people that we grew up with, it’s people that we know who are actually living through these circumstances. So when we speak on it Kawann Short Jersey , it’s not like we’re just speaking out of the side of our neck. It’s things that actually touch home and things that we can actually relate to.

”All I have to say is, I just think it’s sad that it’s veered from something that stood for good and the whole narrative has changed into something that’s negative when that was not what it was initially about in the first place.”

The NFL started requiring players to be on the field for the anthem in 2009 – the year it signed a marketing deal with the military.

”We want people to be respectful of the national anthem. We want people to stand,” Goodell said at the May meetings, when he dismissed concerns about the lack of union involvement by contending the league met with countless players over the past year.

”We’ve been very sensitive on making sure that we give players choices,” the commissioner added, ”but we do believe that moment is an important moment and one that we are going to focus on.”

The league and the Players Coalition have been working in tandem on efforts to support player initiatives in the community and for a variety of social issues. The NFL is committing $90 million over the next seven years to social justice causes in a three-segment plan that involves league players.

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