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Compensatory draft picks haven't dramatically altered the course of NFL history, but they've become increasingly significant, writes Len Pasquarelli.

Without a new CBA soon, many free-agent standouts will find their mobility limited by "restricted" status, writes Len Pasquarelli. He assembled an ESPN.com all-star team of such players.

Roger Goodell recently scaled Mount Rainier. The commissioner's attempt to extend the collective bargaining agreement could be much more daunting, writes Len Pasquarelli.

Negotiations toward an extension of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players will begin on June 1, NFL executive vice president of labor/legal counsel Jeff Pash said here Tuesday.

Some Hall of Fame voters still have doubts about former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue's credentials, writes Len Pasquarelli.

The NFL has no specific salary-cap rules governing a player's death. The league still is determining how Sean Taylor's death will affect the Redskins' payroll limits.

Changes to the CBA and a larger salary cap are two of the main reasons that June 1 won't see a large number of players released onto the open market, writes Len Pasquarelli.

Without a new CBA, Chris Simms, Robert Mathis and others would have had to wait until 2008 to be free agents. Now they can cash in after 2006.

Now that the CBA is in place, GMs and personnel directors have more flexibility when free agency finally starts.

While NFL owners will meet Thursday in New York to determine if there is some way to avoid the chaos that would ensue without an extension to the league's collective bargaining agreement, no one should expect commissioner Paul Tagliabue to pull a rabbit out of the salary cap in this critical round of labor negotiations, writes Len Pasquarelli.

Because so many teams are up against the projected cap limit of $95 million to $96 million for 2006, and the lack of a CBA extension means there are few options for relief, some big-name players will be jettisoned by Thursday, when teams must be in compliance with the spending limit.

Amid indications that there has been some progress in talks aimed at extending the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, league owners are scheduled to meet Tuesday via conference call to discuss the status of negotiations.

With uncertainty surrounding the CBA, a delay to the start of free agency would be welcome news to many. • CBA Q&A

Paul Tagliabue will meet with owners Thursday to provide an update on CBA talks, but don't expect any big developments.

With a record 14 teams already eliminated from playoff contention, 2005 has become a season of disparity in the NFL.

Citing a lack of progress in discussions aimed at an extension of the league's collective bargaining agreement, the NFL has cancelled an owners meeting scheduled for Sept. 13-14 in Atlanta.