Tom Brady has never been inside two seasons away from unrestricted free agency until now. He's entering the final year of his contract and negotiations haven't progressed beyond preliminary talks.
With the uncertain labor landscape, there are a lot of factors at play.
According to Albert Breer of the Boston Globe, the possibility of the franchise tag in 2011 because a "more likely scenario with each passing day."
One of the factors at play is whether there will even be a franchise tag in 2011. It's suspected that there will be but without a CBA, there are no guarantees.