Despite months of negotiations, and talks that consumed many hours and provided plenty of drama in the last week, the sides remained well apart on a number of critical issues.
The owners' final offer, Upshaw said, would have given 56.5 percent of total football revenue to players. Upshaw had been seeking 60 percent for the players when talks began. Upshaw said that when talks ended, the union was seeking an average of 59.5 percent of total revenue over the course of the deal.
Harold Henderson, the NFL's executive vice president of labor relations, said the NFL's offer would have increased player compensation by US$577 million this year over last year.
"The union rejected a proposal that would have increased player compensation to unprecedented levels," Henderson said in a statement. "Our offer would have added a minimum of US$1.5 billion in new dollars for players over the six years of the extension. It is an unfortunate situation for the players, the fans, and the league."
The greatest sticking point, Upshaw said, remained revenue sharing among clubs, which has caused a fissure among owners and vexed both sides for months. A group of nine or 10 owners of high-revenue teams -- including the Redskins, the Eagles, the Patriots and the Texans -- has balked at sharing locally earned revenues, like stadium naming rights, with teams that do not generate as much local revenue, like the Jaguars and the Bills.
The talks included a discussion of how teams could manage spending cash over the salary cap.
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