The NFL and the NFLPA will have a formal bargaining session in the Dallas area on the Saturday before the Super Bowl, both sides announced Monday in a joint statemement. The sides also agreed to a series of meetings over the next few weeks after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and union executive director DeMaurice Smith met face-to-face in New York on Monday. The sides are attempting to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement before the current deal expires at the end of the day on March 3. Saturday's meeting marks the first full negotiating session between the league and the union in almost two months. Although sources told ESPN's senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that neither side believes an agreement is close, Monday's joint statement said the sides are attempting to jump-start negotiations. Source: ESPN
