Yes, Virginia, there will probably be an NFL season as scheduled in 2011.

The league appears poised for labor peace as soon as today after a union source said the leadership of the decertified NFL Players Association is likely to vote this afternoon in Washington to ratify the proposed collective bargaining agreement passed by the owners last week.

The result would be a welcome end to the four-month-old lockout that will go down as the longest work stoppage in league history but now seems unlikely to cost the sport any meaningful games.

A thumbs-up vote from both the committee and from the player representatives from the 32 teams would very likely lead to approval from the entire 1,900-player membership later this week, and if all that happens, industry sources predicted club facilities could open as soon as Wednesday or Thursday.

Should facilities open on either of those dates, unrestricted free agency could begin this weekend and training camps most likely would open on time.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees appeared to confirm a new deal is coming in an email to teammates yesterday that was obtained by the NFL Network, telling them the deal “is almost done” and that a union news conference was planned for this afternoon in D.C.

Brees, however, offered a different timeline than other sources, saying teams would begin to sign their own free agents tomorrow and unrestricted free agency would start Friday.

NFLPA leadership met throughout the weekend to go over the estimated 200-page proposal from the owners and hash out their concerns about an agreement that would give the sport 10 years of labor peace and end the lockout.

The players remain concerned about the lack of an opt-out provision for either side, and there were conflicting reports last night as to whether the players were successful in having an opt-out clause inserted.

Despite all the promising signs that labor peace is finally at hand, no one in the industry was willing to offer any guarantees or make any concrete predictions.

After all, any thought that the players would gladly sign off on the proposal as soon as the owners passed it by a 31-0 count last Thursday near Atlanta was proven wrong almost immediately when the union balked at agreeing to something it had not even read.

And some predictions of camps opening as soon as Wednesday appear overly optimistic to some on the union side. That’s because multiple votes would have to be taken by the NFLPA and a potentially lengthy recertification process would have to be undertaken by the union before the owners would agree to open camps.

Osi Umenyiora of the Giants and nine other players serving as plaintiffs in the antitrust lawsuit against the owners also would have to agree to settle the case. The NFLPA’s executive committee, however, is expected to meet this morning to ratify settlement terms approved by the 10 plaintiffs, according to a source.

Each day that passes also imperils the first scheduled week of the exhibition season. The owners already have canceled the Aug. 7 Hall of Fame Game between the Rams and Bears that was to mark the opening of the preseason.

bhubbuch@nypost.com

Countdown to kickoff

Here is a tentative schedule of the steps remaining to resolve the NFL’s labor standstill:

TODAY

Expected vote by the NFLPA executive committee in Washington to ratify labor agreement proposal approved by league owners last week. The committee then likely will pass on its recommendation to ratify to the contingent of 32 team player representatives, who will conduct their own vote.

WEDNESDAY

Some teams’ facilities would open, and players would begin to vote to recertify the union and accept the CBA, requiring a majority of the 1,900-man membership to pass. At this point, teams could begin contract talks with their own free agents and draft picks.

FRIDAY

The remaining players report to vote on recertification and CBA approval. Enough votes may be in at this juncture to reconstitute the union and finalize provisions of the labor agreement on matters such as drug testing and player discipline.

SATURDAY

Free agency begins and teams officially can commence signing players.

THURSDAY, AUG. 11

The first preseason games kick off, meaning the game schedule would remain intact with the exception of the Aug. 7 Hall of Fame Game, which already has been canceled.