NFL To Add 2 Extra Playoff Teams, May Expand Schedule
 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...ba-sources-say

Looks like the bye for the #2 seed is going away this season and the #1 seed is getting paid to NOT play on wild card weekend in the new CBA. For 2021, if the league gets their wish, teams will play 17 regular season games, rather than 16, and shave one week off the preseason.

FWIW, I loved how the scheduling worked with a 16-game schedule. About as fair and above-board as can be possible. With a 17-game season, I can already hear the whining about some teams getting nine home games while others get eight. There's no way to do it where it is completely fair unless every team is required to play one game in a neutral site every season (say, eight in London, two in Mexico City, one in Toronto, one in Berlin, one in Madrid, one in Ireland or Scotland, one in Vancouver, and one in Hawaii) which are not designated home or away. As bribery, the players will inch closer to a 50% share of revenue which will then also boost the salary cap.

I can easily forsee a Thursday Night season opener in London once cities get bored with the current way to choose openers. Get ready for an 8 am start to the season!

I don't like these changes, but at least it's still football. Manfred's turned his league into XLB.

This may enable them to finally have the SB on presidents day weekend so everybody is off the Monday after SB Sunday.

It dawned on me that you can have one mandatory international game for each team each season and also keep the schedule fair by making each "17th game" an interconference clash. Each year, teams play four games from the other conference - now make it five with a rotation where 1s play 1s, 2s play 2s, 3s play 3s and 4s play 4s. This way the home/road split is balanced (because the international game won't be home or away) and the schedule is made slightly harder for the top teams and slightly easier for the weak ones so there is more turnover from season to season.