The proposed 18-game schedule is apparently off the table in the current labor negotiations between the NFL and NFLPA, according to a published report at SI.com. NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said flatly in the report that an 18-game season will not happen.
"First of all, the league has never presented a formal proposal for 18 games," he told SI.com. "But more importantly, it's something that our players don't want. Eighteen games is not in the best interest of our players' safety, so we're not doing it."
Yahoo! Sports has further reported today that the two sides have agreed to a rookie wage scale. Yahoo! also stated that the NFLPA is also likely to agree on stronger language to allow teams to recoup money from players whorun afoul of the law.
The two sides have until Friday to reach a full agreement in the mediated talks or to extend the negotiating deadline once again. If neither of those things happen, owners are still expected to lock out the players.