Reports pointing to a nearly done deal

With a deal to end the NFL's four-month lockout virtually complete, teams and some players began preparing Friday to return to work even as lawyers and financial experts raced to finalize the accord's details.

Experts representing the sides are scheduled to work this weekend and negotiators are planning to reconvene Monday, amid widespread expectation that the deal will be finished in time for the league and players to present it to their court-appointed mediator Tuesday. Owners are scheduled to meet Thursday in Atlanta and could vote to approve the deal then.

The sides issued a joint statement Friday saying talks had been constructive and progress had been made. But various reports said a handshake deal was even closer to completion than the statement indicated, with a tentative agreement all but in place and only a few details remaining.

The deal is expected to be finished and announced next week in time to preserve a full preseason, barring any unexpected setbacks, the Washington Post reported.

Players and front-office personnel prepared for the expected opening of training camps by the end of July. Giants receiver Ramses Barden wrote on Twitter that he had his "cleats laced up for the first time since November. Heart beating outta my chest."

Friday's talks moved beyond economic issues to cover remaining areas where gaps need to be bridged, the Associated Press reported. That included player health and safety matters.

The aim was to build upon the significant steps made Thursday, when the framework for a rookie salary system was established, including that first-round draft picks will sign four-year contracts with a club option for a fifth year. On another financial matter, the per-team cap figure for 2011 will be in the range of $120 million in salaries plus about $20 million or so in benefits, the AP reported. Also, teams likely will have a window to attempt to re-sign their own free agents before they would be allowed to sign elsewhere.

Gas theft: Former Eagles running back Reno Mahe surrendered to Utah authorities to face a criminal theft charge. Mahe and four others are charged with using a code to steal more than $15,000 in gas in 2010 from a construction company in a Salt Lake City suburb.