Blank said he is "optimistic" the NFL Players Association will accept terms of a new collective bargaining agreement on Thursday that would end the league's 128-day lockout. He also expects a "great majority" of teams will approve the deal should the NFL conduct a vote, as expected, Thursday at a league meeting in Georgia.

"The commissioner is very positive, and I think the owners are very positive," Blank said Thursday morning before entering the meeting. "We're looking forward to a deal that will end this lockout and get to football, which is what America, the owners and players want."

The owners have been told to expect to vote on the CBA between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday.

Meanwhile, the NFLPA has scheduled a conference call among its player representatives for 8 p.m. ET Thursday for a possible vote that would clear the CBA’s passage.

“Honestly, I think we are close to a deal,” a source told FOXSports.com.