Mark Murphy has once again joined the negotiations between the NFL and the former players union. Murphy was spotted by reporters entering the building where talks have been taking place here in New York the past two weeks. (As a Packer fan, I felt a small sense of pride knowing Murphy arrived in a yellow cab)

Murphy had been extremely involved with talks early on in the process but had not been an active participant in negotiations since the league locked out its players back in March.

Does Murphy's reappearance on the scene mean a deal is near completion? Reports indicate that there are at least seven other owners present at negotiations this morning, the largest number by far since this process began.

Of course, the presence of so many on the owners side may simply be a premptive move on the NFL's part. One of the biggest complaints for the former players union when talks broke down in March was that the owners side never had enough decision makers involved in the process. (A complaint that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell dismissed when he appeared here on Cheesehead TV during Packer Transplants)

Tea-leaf reading aside, the return of Murphy to negotiations is an interesting development.