If you are expecting any major announcements to come out the NFL this week, you might want to temper your enthusiasm.

A deal to end the nearly four-month-old lockout could be coming soon. It just won’t likely be this week, says ESPN.com.

The lawyers for both the players and owners are set to meet Tuesday and Wednesday, primarily to work out the language in a potential agreement. That way, when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association head DeMaurice Smith meet later this week they can negotiate much more clearly.

It would seem that time is of the essence right now if both sides hope to get the season going on time or as close as possible. Training camps are set to open later this month. The first preseason game—The Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio between the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears—is set to be played Aug. 7, and organizers of the exhibition game say that everything is still on track.

But in order for that to remain true, an agreement must be reached soon. All of the indications are that nothing will be hammered out this week. Next week is a possibility, but there are still many legal hurdles that must be cleared to make that happen in such a short timespan.

The two sides met four straight days last week but reached no agreement, and by several accounts, the negotiations nearly fell apart. But the fact that they are meeting and having lawyers work through the legal language is, at least, a reason to hope that an agreement is close.

Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris

(Photo: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty)