Except for the preseason Hall of Fame game involving two teams, it now looks like the rest of the 2011 NFL season has been saved following Monday’s announcement that the owners and players have reached a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement.

Though the formalities still have to be finalized, such as the players’ union being recertified, all indications are that players will soon be returning to training camp to prepare for another season.

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe correctly predicted almost three weeks ago that the owners and players would reach a new agreement before the end of the month when he noted: “There’s just too much money involved for them not to figure it out. I have faith in the power of human greed.”

Now it remains to be seen over the next month what the rosters of the 32 NFL teams will look like as free agents come and go.

A sure sign of another NFL season on the horizon has emerged again with talk of a quarterback named Brett Favre possibly returning for another season, this time with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Regardless of whether Favre will be on somebody’s roster come early September, players returning in the next few days for another season will avoid the ill will a stoppage in play would create.

The economic impact of turning off fans would be in the millions of dollars. Even the revenue raised in a community from interest in training camp, which the Vikings will hold in Mankato for the 46th year, is no small change.

The NFL can continue to benefit from the fan popularity it has created in recent years with television revenues, ticket sales, etc.

Monday’s announcement of a new labor agreement stressed that “football is back.” Canceled games would benefit no one with both the owners and players being out millions of dollars.

Now the “great debates” can begin as to which team is likely to win the next Super Bowl.

An Internet joke circulated by Green Bay Packer fans during the lockout depicted the labor standoff as a plot by the Vikings and Bears in collusion with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was fictitiously shown stating at a press conference, “Both the owners and the players told me... ‘Hey, there’s no way to beat the Packers this year, so let’s just shut it down!’”

Whether the Packers appear in back-to-back Super Bowls for the third time in franchise history, or another team represents the NFC in Super Bowl XLVI, all 32 NFL teams will begin the 2011 season with the same record and a chance to win the next Vince Lombardi trophy.

Boneske may be reached via e-mail at kevin@ifallsjournal.com