If the stay is lifted again, free agency will begin right away under those rules.
correct cuz those are the default rules when there's no CBA in place.
Not that I'm aware of any other info, but do you have a link to this? It was my understanding the result of a lifted stay would be no rules or FA restrictions, not carrying forward 2010 rules. Thought I'd read that the only thing contemplated under an expired CBA was that a 2011 draft would occur.
Basically, if the lockout is lifted,
the owners can institute any rules they wish relating to FA. The could use the 2010 rules, but they run the risk of players challenging parts of it on anti-trust law (as is the case with implementing any other rule set other than no restrictions). They could also institute their last best offer or they could institute any rules they wanted to. That is the reason that players weren't signed IMMEDIATELY upon the judge lifting the lockout on Mon/Wed last week because they had not determined which rules they were going to implement. There seems to be a lot of thought that the owners would implement 2010 rules, and that is basically what players are suing over.This is also why the owners wanted the lockout lifted. If they implemented rules, they would be in trouble on any law suits, but maintain the integrity of the league for when a new CBA was reached. If they did not implement rules, they risked teams signing players and being in a position where they could not meet requirements of a new CBA because they may be over a new salary cap, etc. If there were no rules, but they didn't make offers to players because of fear of going over a future salary cap, they could be violating anti-trust laws. As much as fans want to see football, to me, it is extremely short sighted to want the lockout lifted before the CBA is in place. (Don't want to turn this thread into a lockout discussion, sorry!)