NFL plans to expand regular season to 17 games per team in 2021

personally i think this is a great idea. i was never a fan of a team being 8-8. you should either have a winning season or not. but  i would also like to see 2 byes for each team . every team should get a bye either weak 6 or 7 and another at either week 11 or 12. cut back to 2 preseason games. keep the expanded rosters.

Quote :

The NFL is planning to expand the regular season to 17 games in 2021 -- a historic move that would generate new revenue and could at least slightly soften an anticipated drop in the salary cap next year, sources say.

An announcement may not come for weeks, if not months, since the NFL must first negotiate at least one new media contract in order to make the move to 17 games in 2021, per the collective bargaining agreement. But as one team source apprised of discussions said: "We're all anticipating it's going to happen."

In turn, the preseason would be cut to either two or three games. There still would be one bye week per club, extending the total regular season to 18 weeks and pushing back the Super Bowl into the second week of February.

The NFL has played a 16-game regular season since 1978, when it added two games to each team's schedule. Under the new CBA finalized this past March, the league and/or clubs have the discretion to increase the number of regular-season games per club to 17 -- but not more -- at any time, in concert with a reduction in the number of preseason games to no more than three.

Though there was always support for making the move to 17 games sooner than later, a projected multibillion-dollar revenue shortfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic increased the urgency of the situation for both NFL owners and the players' union. The sides negotiated a deal in August that spreads the accounting for the shortfall over several years and prevents the salary cap from dropping below $175 million in 2021 -- compared to $198.2 million this year.

read more... https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-plans-to-expand-regular-season-to-17-games-per-team-in-2021

money money money for the star players aka salary cap. teams got to get talent deep with off the bench players.

Not a fan of this idea. Today is 17, in five years there will be a push for 18.

Somewhat related, not a fan of the extra team in the playoffs either.

Sometimes, things just don't need to be tinkered with.

I would be in favor of a 17 games season if each team got 2 bye weeks, but not with 1 bye week. The amount of injuries each team is dealing with is getting ridiculous. What do you expect when athletes are getting faster, bigger and stronger? Give them at least another bye week to heal up lingering injuries.

Expand the rosters, practice squads, and drop 1 pre-season game. Look at a second bye week. Increase the salary cap to adjust for expanded rosters and practice squads.