Although it's being widely reported that free agency will now launch on Friday at 12:01 a.m., we're told that the league and the union have not yet made a final decision in this regard.

The union is pressing for Friday, but the league wants a full 48 hours for teams to digest the new terms and rules in the extended CBA.

Stay tuned.

CAP JUMPS OVER $100 MILLION

A league source tells us that the salary cap under the extended CBA is expected to move to $102 million in 2006, and $109 million in 2007.

It's an increase of less than $8 million in 2006 over the cap under the prior CBA, which provides far less of an additional bump than previously anticipated.

According to NFL.com, the owners approved an extension to the CBA by an overwhelming vote of 30-2.

Only Buffalo and Cincinnati voted against it, which suggests that the final agreement might have favored the larger-money teams, and that the low-money teams might have agreed to the move for the sake of the league.

Or, as one reader pointed out, maybe the new CBA imposes a greater expectation on teams to raise money on their own, starting with the sale of stadium naming rights.  The Bills and Bengals both have named their venues for persons, not corporations.

Free agency will now begin on Friday at 12:01 a.m.  We'll be on top of all of the moves from midnight on.

Finally.  A league source tells us that the owners have approved a new CBA, and a new revenue sharing plan.

More details to come.

Per the NFL Network, the owners are expected to announce a decision on the CBA-revenue sharing conundrum at 8:30 p.m. EST Wednesday.

We're told that if a deal gets done free agency will get pushed into next week.

Stay tuned.

We now hear that the NFL and the NFLPA are now in agreement as to the terms of a new CBA.

The only remaining hitch is the approach to revenue sharing.

But that's potentially a big hitch, and it's still not known whether 24 owners will get behind any of the proposals currently on the table.

A reader has pointed out to us another strong reason for the NFL owners to work out their current disagreements regarding revenue sharing.

The absence of a deal could eventually affect the league's impeccable high-yield credit rating, which at the same time could make it harder for teams who want new stadiums to finance them.

Here's the relevant article.  We'd be lying if we said we understood much of it, but we think we get the gist of it.

The NFL has the highest possible credit rating.  And labor unrest can screw it up.

So get it done, guys.  Get it done.

As the Minnesota Vikings continue to ponder whether they can get any trade value for quarterback Daunte Culpepper, or whether they'll merely have to cut him loose before a $6 million roster bonus comes due later this month, we've learned that either move will create even more cap space for the already cap-rich team.

Culpepper currently carries a cap number in excess of $9.4 million, representing nearly 10 percent of the team's entire cap room for 2006, if there's no CBA extension.  Cutting him will enable the team to avoid $8 million in compensation, and a $500,000 not-likely-to-be-earned incentive based on being voted to the Pro Bowl.

The cap charge for dumping or trading Culpepper would be $5.71 million.

So the move would free up just under $2.3 million in additional cap space.  Given that they already have $20 million or so in cap room, another $2.3 million should give them more than enough room to address any needs, on either side of the ball.

Our guess is that the Vikes will hold an auction for Culpepper's rights, taking whatever they can get.  The problem is that, absent a restructured deal that doesn't carry a $6 million roster bonus, they won't be able to move him.

The other problem is that, if they're going to replace him with a Drew Brees, the Vikes need to jump into the market if/when it ever opens.  And once they declare interest in another quarterback, they'll have even less leverage in trade talks.

ADAMS' ARRIVAL WOULD DISPLACE TRAYLOR

As the Miami Dolphins explore the possibility of signing defensive tackle Sam Adams, we're told that the team is eyeing Adams as a possible replacement for Keith Traylor.

But there's a concern, we hear, that Adams might not be the player Traylor is.  Though there's no denying Adams' talent at clogging the middle of the line, he has a reputation for shying away from practicing or playing while hurt.  Traylor, on the other hand, is known for sucking it up and moving forward.

Maybe Fins coach Nick Saban believes that he can instill the right attitude into Adams.  And maybe he can.  But Traylor already has the necessary mindset, and he's the guy who'd be the odd man out if Adams comes to town.

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reports that the final deadline for approving the supposedly bottom-line union proposal is 8:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday.

But Schefter acknowledges that the thing could get nudged, just as every other relevant deadline has been extended over the past week.

This thing is going back and forth, as it has for much of the past couple of weeks.  We're starting to hope that the thing blows up.  Pro football always will be part of the American landscape, and if the guys who currently play the game and who own the teams want to make less money over the next decade or two, that's their business.

WAIVER DEADLINE PUSHED TO 11:00 p.m. EST

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reports that the league and the union have agreed to nudge -- again -- the deadline for getting under the current 2006 salary cap of $94.53 million.

Instead of 9:00 p.m. EST, the new deadline is 11:00 p.m. EST.

And so it continues.  We'll be here all night -- until, of course, the deadline gets pushed again.

ESPN.com reports that the owners aren't making much progress on their second day in Dallas for meetings regarding an extension to the CBA.

"I don't think we're progressing.  I think it will go to the last minute.  I think we've probably had a step back today," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.

Per ESPN, the owners are looking at two revenue-sharing models.  Under a system proposed by the Steelers, each team would put 25 percent of local revenues into a pool that would be distributed to the teams at the lower end of the earning spectrum.

The Patriots and Jets are proposing an expansion to a little-known system of supplemental revenue sharing that's already in place.  We've previously heard that there is some dissatisfaction regarding the manner in which the NFL currently divvies up the additional revenue; presumably, the Pats/Jets plan will hinge enhanced revenue sharing to factors such as a franchise's overall financial picture -- and its efforts (or lack thereof) to earn more money on its own.

We've previously proposed a system that takes a set percentage of the local revenue of every team and funnels it to players on a league-wide basis according to factors such as seniority and performance.  But who in the hell listens to us? 

If no agreement can be reached among the owners (and thus no deal will be reached with the NFLPA), each team will be required to be under the $94.53 million salary cap by 9:00 p.m. EST Wednesday, and free agency will launch at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

Though the union has said that the deadlines won't be extended again, the union previously has said that the deadline would never be extended beyond March 2.

It has since been extended twice. 

Little did former Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress realize that when he left Philly for the top job in Minny, he'd leave behind a situation involving a Pro Bowl player who wanted more money and then wanted out and find himself in another situation in which a Pro Bowl player wanted more money and now wants out.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Culpepper has e-mailed a statement requesting that the Vikings cut him, if they cannot trade him.

"Now that I have confirmed that the Vikings have been seeking to trade me, I have asked for permission to speak to the interested teams.  The Vikings have denied my request," Culpepper, who is acting as his own agent, said.  "If a trade does not happen, then I am asking the Vikings to terminate my contract as soon as possible.

Okay, what the f--k does that mean?  If they can't trade him, he wants out.  But if they won't let him go, then he'll stay.

How about Option C -- Culpepper pays back some of the signing bonus money he has received?  After all, a signing bonus isn't a lottery prize; it's advance compensation for services to be rendered in the future.  If he wants out of his contract with eight years remaining on it, he needs to cough up a corresponding chunk of the money he received when the contract was signed.

That's precisely what LaVar Arrington did to win his freedom from Washington recently, giving up $4.4 million in deferred signing bonus money. 

In Culpepper's case, however, the agent he fired several weeks back for doing a bad deal in 2003 was at least smart enough to insert a clause into Daunte's deal requiring the team to pay a $6 million roster bonus in the middle of March.  So if the team isn't inclined to let him walk, the team nevertheless has to give him $6 million for the privilege of retaining his services.

Well player, Culpepper.  Well, played.

Actually, we're being sarcastic, since in our view it was wrong for him to air the dirty laundry to the media.  The team didn't go public regarding its efforts to trade him, and the front office generally has bent over backward to kiss his big, fat butt of late, even after he demanded a $10 million raise for 2006.

Still, we can't imagine anyone trading anything other than a conditional pick in 2007 and/or 2008, based on his ability to play in 2006 and/or 2007, respectively.  The guy is a streaky, emotional player, and he's damaged goods.

We said it a year ago -- they should have traded Culpepper instead of Moss. 

Now, it looks like they'll have neither.

LEIGH NEEDS TO CHECK HIS HISTORY BOOK

Agent Leigh Steinberg represents USC quarterback Matt Leinart.

Agent Leigh Steinberg thinks that Leinart will be the first quarterback selected in the drafted, and possibly the No. 1 overall pick.

"I feel as sure about Matt as I was about Ben Roethlisberger," Steinberg said, according Newsday.

But, you see, Roethlisberger wasn't the first overall pick.

He was the eleventh.

And he wasn't the first quarterback taken in the draft.

He was the third.

Never mind those details.  Leinhart likely will be the first quarterback selected in the draft, and we think that Leigh is referring not to Ben's draft position, but to his performance in two NFL seasons.

Focusing on 2006, the possibility that someone will trade up with the Texans in order to get Leinart at No. 1 provides an interesting subtext to the upcoming April 2 pro day workout at USC, since at that same event two former teammates, Leinart and tailback Reggie Bush, will be showing their stuff in the hopes that, when the Commish saunters to the podium next month, they'll each hear their own names called out first.

In our view, either a phenomenal workout by Leinart of a subpar showing by Bush could be enough to prompt the Texans to move out of the top spot and stockpile picks to address other areas of need.

So forgive Leinart if he isn't secretly hoping that Bush runs a 4.6 on April 2.  It might be the only way that Matt makes back the money he lost by hanging around for another year of ballroom dancing and second-place finishes.

GUTTING THE "IT WASN'T AGAINST THE RULES" B.S.

On Tuesday, we took a brief detour into the world of baseball, a sport which is roughly as interesting to us as watching a dog look for a spot to piss.  We felt compelled, despite the fact that the sport is so dreadfully boring, to raise the disparity in treatment received by Pete Rose and Barry Bonds.

Rose, one of the best players ever, can't get into the Hall of Fame because he bet on baseball after his playing career ended.  Bonds, one of the best players ever even before he began consuming a gonad-expunging cocktail of performance-enhancing substances, is still playing ball despite now-clear proof that he used steroids.

We've received several e-mails from readers reminding us that, at the time, taking 'roids wasn't against the rules, so Barry shouldn't be punished.

Let's get this one straight.  At the time, it wasn't against the rules.  But it was, you see, AGAINST THE LAW.

The problem was, is, and always will be that baseball has no choice but to ignore the 600-pound gorilla in the room (who used to weigh only 225 before he started juicing) in order to preserve any shred of integrity that it still has.  Since so many guys were using steroids as baseball tried to recapture its lost fan base following the 1994 strike, a fair and complete investigation would serve only to expose the extent of the problem -- and ultimately (we believe) generate evidence that folks who otherwise had a duty to the game to eradicate this kind of stuff knew about it and kept quiet because, at the time, all of that horsehide flying into the stands was berry, berry good for business.

So at about the same time that Ken Griffey Jr.'s career began to take a downward slide due to his inability to stay and get healthy, other guys like Bonds were consistently in the lineup and knocking dingers into the San Francisco Bay with the help of illegal substances that, apparently, Griffey didn't use.

The true Hall of Famer between those two, in our view, is Griffey.  He accepted his human frailties like a man, and he continued to persevere.  If he was using steroids, they either weren't strong enough or he was even more messed up physically than advertised.

Bonds, on the other hand, is a cheater.  And if you won't call him a cheater because there was no rule against using compounds intended to build muscle mass in cattle so that he could muscle a long out over the fence, then let's call him what he really is.

A criminal. 

The Commish made a pitch for his legacy on Tuesday. 

Whether it did any good will be determined on Wednesday.

According to Dave Goldberg of The Associated Press, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue implored the 32 franchise owners not to return to the days of periodic labor unrest, but to reach a deal that extends the league's decade-plus run of peace and harmony.

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney described Tagliabue's speech as "Excellent.  Super."

But Raiders owner Al Davis was a little more hesitant.  "I love my country and I love my league," Davis said.  "People who have been through this in the past want something good to come of it.  What's good is another question."

And that's a big part of the problem, in our view.  Many of the owners who are now wrangling over the issue of revenue sharing have never suffered through a work stoppage.  Guys like Jerry Jones, Dan Snyder, Bob Kraft, Jeffrey Lurie, Woody Johnson, John York, and Malcom Glazer, all of whom are believed to be among the nucleus of owners opposed to expanded revenue sharing, have no first-hand experience (and thus no first-hand understanding) of the consequences of shutting down the sport, or of the periodic threat of it.

In 1982, a strike shortened the regular season by seven games.  In 1987, another strike shut down the NFL for one week, and was followed by three weeks of replacement players.

Even now, the possibility of a work stoppage is a full two years away.  But, as we've said, if these guys can't get a deal done right now, when there are plenty of competitive reasons for doing so, we can't imagine them ever agreeing on a new plan for player compensation and free agency, either with or without a union on the other side of the table.

Still, it's too early to believe that a deal will get done now.  Goldberg reports that there was doubt among many of the owners as to whether 24 of them could agree on any proposal.

At least for one day, however, the owners played nice.  "We haven't punched anyone yet," Rooney said.

But if the fists are gonna fly, it'll be on Wednesday, as the effects of Tagliabue's Tuesday speech have begun to fade. 

For everyone's sake, he needs to be ready to crank it up another notch once the voices of dissent begin to sound off as the day unfolds -- and as the latest deadline for getting under the current 2006 salary cap, 9:00 p.m. EST, approaches.

WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS  

The Texans have signed G Steve McKinney to a four-year, $9 million extension, which frees up $2.2 million in 2006 cap room.

Now we know why so many readers don't understand the rule regarding the ability of players who have been cut to sign elsewhere before the start of the free agency period -- the folks who give the fans their info don't fully appreciate the distinction, either; John McClain of The Houston Chronicle writes that WR Isaac Bruce is "going to test the market once the NFL allows free agency."

Agent Neil Schwartz denies that the Packers already have a deal with Seahawks S Marquand Manuel; "The report is not true," Schwartz said, "it's tampering" (which explains why he'd deny it, but sure as hell doesn't mean that it isn't going on in Manuel's case and in dozens of others).

David Locke of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer hits the nail in the nuts regarding the question of whether RB Shaun Alexander will go soft, now that he's gotten paid.

DE Courtney Brown's new deal created between $2 million and $3 million in cap space.

Ravens coach Brian Billick explains that the team didn't slap the franchise tag on RB Jamal Lewis because of the tension that it creates.

The 'Skins will only have to scalp 5-7 guys in order to get under the $94.53 million salary cap.

The Jets are interested in setting up a private workout with USC QB Matt Leinart.

Former Jets C Kevin Mawae is visiting the Dolphins on Wednesday.

If the CBA isn't extended, the Fins will release QB Gus Frerotte on Wednesday.

The Cowboys signed WR Patrick Crayton and WR Terrence Copper to one-year minimum deals of $460,000 each.

Ravens coach Brian Billick denies reports that LB Ray Lewis wants out of Baltimore.

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