It’s happening. In 2021, the NFL will go from a 16-game regular season to a 17-game slate, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This was the expected move and the league office is expected to make it all official in the coming weeks.
The last round of CBA negotiations provided the NFL with this option, even though many players were opposed. On the plus side, the additional revenue from a 17th game should help to soften the expected drop in the 2021 salary cap. And, to offset the extra game, the NFL will move from a four-game preseason to a two or three-game preseason schedule. The new arrangement will not add another bye week, but the 18-week season will push the Super Bowl to the second week of February.
The new CBA mandates a salary cap floor of $175MM, but the additional game could drive it a bit higher. In any event, the number is expected to fall short of this year’s $198.2MM max. Meanwhile, the league’s new scheduling formula will account for the odd number of games. The “extra game” will be an inter-conference matchup, pitting AFC and NFC teams against each other in accordance with their divisional finish. Host sites will alternate between the AFC and NFC.
I thought the 17th game was supposed to be neutral site instead of taking all these home games from teams and sending them to London and Mexico City?
The 17th game will feature exciting matchups like Jets vs Lions and Jaguars vs Giants. Those games probably should be exported to foreign markets.
They won’t do that they want to get fans not put them to sleep. Some of those games could be more boring than soccer. Granted the game could be exciting because those teams are bad. Overseas futbal fans love football because they score more than a few times a game.
That could be the plan long-term, but with COVID travel-related issues internationally will probably table that idea for now.
Somewhere Jeff Fisher is crying.
Seems mostly sensible, although I do think they should add a 2nd bye week in there.
Bad idea. Players’ bodies barely make it thru 16 game seasons. As usual $$$$$ talks.
Totally completely agree!
So stupid adding a 17th game. It makes everything uneven – total number of games, home games, road games, inter conference games, etc.
maybe it will be a one and done like the challenging of pass interference.
Except that challenging pass interference didn’t put more money into the NFL coffers…
That’s for sure. What it’s all about to Goddell