"Reports of progress and optimism on the NFL labor front continue to emerge. The latest is from Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal, a sister publication of Sporting News.

On Saturday morning, Kaplan tweeted, "Told optimism is so high in NFL, players talks over labor deal that expectation is for a framework agreement in about two weeks."

Many predictions on the resolution of the labor dispute have estimated an early to mid-July agreement, so Kaplan's report puts a more optimistic spin on the timeline. After five days of talks the past two weeks—including two days this week in New York—the mood in negotiations has improved considerably.

Perhaps the most significant symbol of progress was a report in the New York Post that commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith appeared upbeat in a private dinner Wednesday night after the second day of negotiations in New York."