TORONTO -- The NFL and CFL on Thursday extended their working agreement
until the end of April.
The current deal was set to expire Dec. 31, when the CFL is scheduled to
make the final $500,000 installment on its $3 million loan with the NFL.
The four-month extension means CFL players entering the option year of
their contracts will be permitted to sign with NFL clubs until Feb. 29.
NFL teams traditionally have had a nine-week window to sign CFL
option-year players, starting from the end of the NFL regular season.
The NFL regular season ends Dec. 28. With the NFL-CFL deal set to expire
Dec. 31 that meant eligible players in Canada would have had just three
days to work out for NFL teams, let alone negotiate and sign contracts.
In 1997, the two leagues created the CFL-NFL Alliance. The arrangement
gave the CFL a cash boost while the NFL received access to CFL players
entering their option year.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
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