Despite the insistence that there is still a lot of work to be done before a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, the NFL's owners and players are closer to a deal that many believe. Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports wrote as much on Tuesday. "The two sides are closer to an agreement than many people realize – perhaps than even some of the people involved realize," Silver wrote. "As the owners and players prepare to reconvene this week in New York City following the Fourth of July holiday, a deal is very much there for the making."