"Jason Witten , the Cowboys' Pro Bowl tight end, had his wish for "a miracle" in the NFL labor talks granted on Thursday.

Witten's "miracle" came with no assurances for today and beyond.

Early in the evening, NFL owners and the NFL Players Association agreed during meetings in Washington, D.C., to push back the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement to 10:59 p.m. Dallas time Friday. In reality, the deadline is about five hours earlier.

If the players are to decertify their union, they must act before the CBA expires by filing papers with U.S. District Judge David S. Doty in Minneapolis. His chambers close in the late afternoon.

"We want to say to all of our fans who dig our game that we appreciate your patience as we work through this," said DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFLPA, as he left negotiations. "We're going to keep working. We want to keep playing football."

According to numerous media outlets, there could be a longer extension today. The sides will concentrate on the details of a longer extension, such as health care for players and free-agent rights, before resuming talks on a new CBA."