Dynamics for Roger Goodell, DeMaurice Smith to reach potential CBA agreement are in place: sources

WASHINGTON - Roger Goodell vs. DeMaurice Smith won't fill an 80,000-seat stadium like Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady, but their battle in the negotiating room this week will have a greater long-term impact on the NFL than any game.

Goodell's letter-writing campaign to league executives earned him an entry-level internship in the NFL office in 1982 soon after college and he worked his way all the way up to commissioner in 2006.

Smith was previously a trial lawyer and litigation partner in a Washington law firm. He had no connection to the league other than being a Redskins season-ticket holder before he was elected to succeed Hall of Famer Gene Upshaw as the executive director of the NFL Players Association in March of 2009. Upshaw died of pancreatic cancer on Aug. 20, 2008. He had been the union's executive director since 1983.

Although he was right under Paul Tagliabue on the league's power chart for the last collective bargaining negotiations five years ago, this is the first time Goodell has been in charge in labor talks. Smith is also doing this for the first time for the players.

Goodell and Smith each face tremendous pressure to make the right deal in this showdown between billionaires and millionaires. Goodell has to satisfy 32 powerful owners, whose franchises are worth an average of $1.02 billion, according to Forbes, and Smith must take care of nearly 2,000 players whose average salary last year was $1.7 million and whose average career is only about four years.

"They need to have success and go through pain together to develop the strong relationship that happened with Gene and Tag," said one source.

Goodell celebrated his 52nd birthday on Feb. 19 during the second session in federal mediator George Cohen's office. Smith turned 47 last month. They are each strong family men. Goodell's wife and twin daughters came to Washington for his birthday. And after the seven-day extension was announced Friday, Smith said he would be coaching his daughter's basketball team Saturday.

Goodell and Smith are just getting to know each other, but they are building a solid relationship. They've had many breakfast and lunch meetings over the last two years. They interacted regularly in the mediator's office last week.

And now, with the talks for a new CBA in double overtime with the new deadline Friday at 11:59 p.m., sources said Saturday that the dynamics for a potential agreement are in place. In other words, despite the major differences that still exist on all the important issues, the mood in the room is more conducive for Goodell and Smith to have a realistic chance to start making significant progress when talks resume Monday.