MARCO ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — The NFL's lead labor negotiator says a letter sent by players to Commissioner Roger Goodell "again proves that the most sensible step for everyone is to get back to bargaining."

In a statement emailed by the league Saturday, hours after the NFL Players Association released its letter to Goodell, NFL executive vice president Jeff Pash begins: "We are pleased now to have received a reply to the comprehensive proposal that we made eight days ago."

Federal mediation broke off March 11 without an agreement. Owners made an offer that day which the players say represented a "switcheroo," because it included changing salaries to a fixed cost and didn't give players a chance to get a cut of growth if revenues exceed projections in the first four years of a new contract.