Collective Bargaining Agreement News & Rumors

NFLPA Nixes Emergency Third QB Rule

The NFL’s emergency third quarterback rule will still exist this season, but not in the form the league intended. The NFLPA will block the updated rule from taking effect, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

This offseason’s update was set to allow teams an unlimited number of practice squad elevations for a third quarterback, effectively giving clubs a player they could continue to stash on the practice squad before moving him up to gameday rosters without using waivers. The union will stand in the way of this. Doing so at this juncture certainly stands to affect teams’ roster decisions, as clubs have until 3pm CT Tuesday to set 53-man rosters.

Since the 2020 CBA revamped the practice squad, clubs have three elevations per player at their disposals. That means a practice squad player can be elevated to a gameday roster up to three times; this allows teams to get around the waiver process for a bit. The NFL sought to have an emergency third quarterback be eligible for elevation throughout the season. This would have given teams flexibility regarding QB depth charts.

Instead, the union is seeking to prevent teams from stashing QBs on practice squads throughout a season, Pelissero adds. The rule will revert to its 2023 form, which came about because of the developments in the 2022 NFC championship game. The NFL reintroduced the emergency QB rule during the 2023 offseason, after the 49ers saw their two dressed QBs — Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson — each suffer injuries.

The rule’s 2023 form stipulated teams could designate their emergency passer 90 minutes before kickoff. Teams must have their QB3 on their 55-man gameday roster, meaning the Saturday-afternoon deadline for transactions during game weeks will likely involve some quarterback moves. Though, teams now must be more strategic in how they set up their depth charts, as they must factor waivers into the equation once again.

After a player is elevated three times, he must be signed to the active roster. Teams would then need to cut their QB3s in order to move them back to practice squads, injecting risk for clubs aiming to carry just two QBs on their active rosters during the regular season.

Clubs may now be more open to carrying three quarterbacks on their active rosters, which would affect depth at other positions. The union understandably wants to see reserve QBs potentially have upward mobility elsewhere, via waivers, rather than be trapped as a third-stringer on teams who have designated them as the emergency option.

NFL, NFLPA Discussing 18-Game Season

Earlier this offseason, commissioner Roger Goodell made clear his vision for a revamped NFL calendar including 18 regular season games and the Super Bowl landing on Presidents’ Day weekend. With players understanding the support in place amongst most owners, talks between the league and union have begun.

NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell said in a Monday press availability that discussions have taken place on an informal level regarding the expansion of the regular season schedule. That update comes as little surprise, given the expectation amongst players that negotiations could begin relatively soon. The current CBA runs through 2030, but amendments (including potential expansion of the season) could be worked out well before that point.

“We have talked at a very, very, very high level superficially, with a recognition… about, ‘Yeah, this is something that we should be talking about. And we should really kick the tires and understand what else goes into that decision-making process,’” Howell said (via Mark Maske of the Washington Post). “Where does the 18th game come from?

“I think the foregone conclusion is well, you just grab it, like, in what would otherwise be [preseason games] in August. You play it forward. But these are details that really need to be fleshed out. But, again, there are other economic, health and safety matters that also need to be clear to our members before there’s ever an agreement about an 18th game.”

Howell recently spoke about the issues which the NFLPA would attempt to land concessions on in exchange for expanding the season from 17 games to 18. Matters such as bye weeks, playing surfaces, travel (particularly with respect to international games) and overall compensation will be talking points once formal negotiations take place. Howell added upcoming meetings with players will provide further opportunity to discuss the core issues which will need to be addressed for an 18-game slate to be agreed to.

A number of owners have voiced support for such a move, including Jerry Jones. Many have considered CBA amendments allowing for an expanded schedule to be an inevitability after the 2020 agreement paved the way for a move from 16 games to 17. Stephen Jones, COO of the Cowboys, recently spoke on that point.

“I’m on the competition committee. We’ve talked about this knowing that it’s probably inevitable,” Jones said during an appearance on The Athletic’s Scoop City podcast“I do know, at the end of the day, the players enjoy the compensation that’s coming their way, and they get, for the most part, half of every revenue dollar that comes through the door. So certainly getting paid well. We all know when we go to 18 games, our revenue’s going to jump, and certainly [that] should only help in terms of money available to pay players and get players the compensation.”

Plenty of time remains under the current terms of the CBA for negotiations to take place and a formal agreement to be reached. Given the eagerness shown on the part of the owners and Howell’s willingness to engage in early dialogue, though, it would not come as a surprise if traction were to be gained in the relatively near future.

NFLPA Director Lloyd Howell Addresses Potential Expansion To 18-Game Schedule

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has publicly spoken on the subject of expanding the NFL’s regular season in recent months, bringing discussion of an 18-game schedule to the forefront. NFLPA director Lloyd Howell has been on the job for one year now, and he is open to discussing the matter well before the current CBA expires.

As things stand, an 18-game schedule could be implemented no earlier than the 2031 season. Significant support exists amongst the league’s owners to arrange for one preseason contest to be replaced by a regular season one well before that point, however. Knowing concessions will need to be made to the player’s union for such a move to be possible, Howell is open to negotiations taking place now to avoid any work stoppages.

“I’m glad Roger said 18. I’m glad that he’s leaning into international [games],” Howell said, via The Athletic’s Mike Jones (subscription required). “I think it gives our guys the opportunity to kind of get their thoughts together, get our position together, to say, ‘This is what and how we’re thinking about it.’

It makes no economic sense for anyone to have a strike or a lockout. The world’s most popular sports league is going well. How do we keep that going? A lockout is an irrational thing. What’s more rational is, ‘Hey, if I could grow this two times, if I could grow this three times, then we should figure out what the agreements would need to be.’”

A number of issues will need to be addressed for traction to be gained on negotiations between owners and the NFLPA regarding an 18-game arrangement. Howell noted the handling of bye weeks – to little surprise, given the widespread expectation expansion could be accompanied by a second bye week – is one element where concessions could be required. Others include playing surfaces, travel related to international games and general player compensation.

In 2021, the NFL’s preseason schedule was reduced from four games to three in exchange for the regular season adding a 17th contest. That setup will remain in place for at least a fourth year, but if Howell and the player’s union are open to discussing further changes well in advance of the CBA’s expiration, an 18-game arrangement could be hammered out before the end of the decade.

Players Anticipating 18-Game Negotiations; Union Eyeing Expanded Rosters?

Even though the 2020 CBA does not contain language giving owners an option to expand the schedule to 18 games, enough steam has built on this matter that players are anticipating another game will be added to the regular season in the not-too-distant future. How the NFL will go about this remains to be seen, but it now looks likely the league’s slate could expand twice in the same decade.

The NFL bent significantly on working conditions in 2011, drastically changing how offseasons run and the format for in-season practices, in exchange for a rookie wage scale and the players giving up a small revenue percentage. More practice restrictions came in 2020, with fifth-year options now more favorable for players and the league’s drug policy relaxed. A move to 18 will require more concessions from the league. While no talks have occurred, per Roger Goodell, they are widely expected to commence down the road.

[RELATED: ‘Considerable Support’ In Place For 18-Game Schedule]

One may need to be roster size. Players privy to NFLPA discussions know an NFL push for 18 games is on the horizon, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who indicates one of the areas the union will need to see augmented is the 53-man roster. Clubs are currently permitted 53 active-roster players; that number rises to 55 on gamedays. Teams can dress 48 players. That number may increase, with Florio adding the union will be expected to seek at least 55 players on regular-season rosters. That would mean 57 on gamedays and 50 eligible to suit up.

The league did not intend to move straight from 10- to 16-man practice squads in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic prompted midsummer adjustments. One of those brought the 16-man P-squad, which remains in place today. It is not known if the NFLPA will seek more P-squad slots, but Florio expects it will push for increased flexibility regarding elevations. Currently, teams can elevate a P-squad non-quarterback three times per season before he is exposed to waivers. For emergency QB purposes, teams will go into this season with unlimited elevations.

It would not surprise, then, to hear rumblings of more IR-return slots being introduced. Teams currently have eight such activations available during the regular season, but an offseason rule change greenlit two more for the playoffs. Teams also no longer no longer will need to carry injured players they are planning to activate over to IR upon setting their initial 53; two players can be stashed before the final roster is set. While a move to the 2020-21 COVID-era setup — which featured unlimited IR activations — may be a stretch, more freedom to bring back recovered players will likely come up as well.

The NFL will need to approve more than a roster expansion for this to happen, as the players would have rare bargaining power due to the CBA running through March 2031. Two bye weeks, nixed by TV networks in 2020, will likely merit a more lengthy discussion if/when the 18-game push commences in earnest.

Many around the league anticipate the move from 17 to 18 happens via CBA amendment, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones adds. That would open the door to the schedule expanding again during the decade, but Jones adds some have suggested the notion of the league and union hammering out a new CBA altogether could also be a solution.

The sides memorably could not prevent a lockout during the 2011 CBA talks, but they did come together on a deal that avoided another CBA-driven work stoppage in 2020. That said, the number of issues that will arise from the schedule again expanding would make it somewhat farfetched to envision another new CBA coming out years before the current deal expires. This would be the first major test for new NFLPA chief Lloyd Howell, as DeMaurice Smith was in place as executive director for the 2011 and ’20 agreements.

Goodell already spoke of the elimination of a second preseason game. Starting the regular season one week earlier than the current schedule’s opener, moving Week 1 to Labor Day weekend, and then adding a second bye would allow the Super Bowl to coincide with Presidents’ Day weekend — a previously rumored NFL goal. The NFLPA’s upcoming proposal to reorganize the offseason — which is not going over well with coaches or execs — looks to be part of the union’s plan for capitalizing on its leverage.

Securing an 18-game schedule before 2029 would bolster the NFL’s position for TV rights, as the league can opt out of its early-2020s deals in 2029. This should be viewed as a strong NFL consideration, Jones adds, and increased TV revenue obviously will lead to bigger cap spikes — as the past two offseasons have shown.

The NFL’s 14-game era spanned 17 seasons, its 16-game schedule 43. Unless a major course change comes, the 17-game schedule seems unlikely to make it through a decade. Long a fringe talking point, the 18-game season will obviously be a central storyline within the league for the foreseeable future.

Key Dates On 2024-25 NFL Calendar

The NFL recently announced important dates for the remainder of 2024 on through the 2025 offseason. Here are some dates to file away during these periods:

Key dates remaining on the 2024 NFL calendar:

  • July 15: Franchise tag extension deadline
  • August 27: Teams can stash two players on a reserve list before finalizing their 53-man roster
  • August 27: By 3pm CT, clubs must reduce rosters from 90 to 53 players
  • August 28: Post-cutdown waiver claims due at 11am CT
  • August 28: Teams can begin setting practice squads
  • September 27-30: Teams can begin designating players placed on IR, NFI and PUP lists for return
  • November 5: Trade deadline set for 3pm CT
  • November 6: Vested veterans (if cut) become subject to waivers

Key dates for the 2025 offseason:

  • January 6: Players chosen in 2022 draft can begin negotiating extensions
  • January 8: Teams must designate salary cap carryover amounts
  • February 18-March 4: Franchise and transition tag application window
  • March 4-April 16: Window for clubs to conduct “30” visits
  • March 10-12: Legal tampering period
  • March 12: 2025 league year begins at 3pm CT
  • April 7: Teams that hired new head coaches can begin offseason programs
  • April 21: Clubs with returning HCs can begin offseason work
  • April 24-26: 2025 NFL Draft
  • April 29: Restricted free agency signing period ends
  • May 1: Deadline for teams to exercise or decline fifth-year options on 2022 first-round picks

Eight of the nine franchise- or transition-tagged players have signed extensions, and Tee Higgins signed his franchise tender. This renders this year’s tender deadlines moot, though the Bengals still have until July 15 to extend Higgins. Otherwise, they cannot negotiate with the fifth-year wide receiver until January.

As PFR’s Ely Allen detailed last week, an NFL rule change allows teams more late-August flexibility. Two players per team can now be placed on IR before a 53-man roster is set and remain eligible to return later in the season. Previously, anyone placed on IR before a team set its final 53 was not eligible to play for that team during the season. If a team uses any of its two such designations, however, it immediately counts against its injury activation number. Teams have eight regular-season injury activations available. The NFL also adjusted its IR-return rule for the playoffs.

After placing its trade deadline on the Tuesday following Week 8 for the past 12 years, a March vote moved this year’s deadline to the Tuesday after Week 9. A proposal emerged to slide the deadline, now that the league is playing an 18-week season, to the Tuesday following Week 10. Owners settled on a compromise, allowing trading to be conducted for one extra week in 2024.

NFL Cancels Supplemental Draft

Decades past its relevance peak, the supplemental draft has seen several cancellations in recent years. Although 2023 did feature supplemental prospects that prompted the NFL to keep the event in place, that is not the case this year.

Once again, the league informed teams (via SI.com’s Albert Breer) no supplemental draft will take place in 2024. This will mark the fourth time in five years the league has nixed the July draft event.

The NFL did hold a supplemental draft last year, but no players were selected. Clubs must give up their corresponding pick in the following April’s draft if they chose a player, and neither of the eligible players — wide receivers Malachi Wideman nor Milton Wright — were selected. The Chargers signed Wright soon after but cut him in September 2023. Wideman received workout opportunities but did not catch on anywhere.

In existence for players whose eligibility statuses have changed in the offseason, the supplemental draft has sent high-quality talent to the NFL. Modern-era players like Josh Gordon, Ahmad Brooks and current Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson used the summer event to bound toward regular NFL work, but few such success stories exist compared to the ones that emerged decades ago.

Some crafty maneuvering gave the Browns Bernie Kosar in the 1985 supplemental draft, while Hall of Famer Cris Carter went to the Eagles in the ’87 supplemental event. College superstar Brian Bosworth (1987), along with Pro Bowlers Bobby Humphrey (’89) and Rob Moore (’90), entered the league through the supplemental draft. The Giants also tabbed Phil Simms‘ heir apparent, Dave Brown, with a first-round supplemental pick in 1992. But this route to becoming an NFL regular is seldom traveled any longer.

Thompson is the only player still active chosen in a supplemental draft. The sixth-year safety has now started 57 games with the Cardinals, remaining in place after Jonathan Gannon‘s 2023 arrival.

NFLPA To Propose Revised Offseason Layout

OTAs are ongoing around the NFL as teams proceed with the third and final phase of voluntary offseason workouts. Things could look much different in that regard next year.

The NFL Players’ Association is finalizing a proposal to dramatically alter the layout of the offseason schedule, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network details. The new arrangement would call for a lengthy spell of time off for teams and players during the spring when voluntary workouts currently take place, with a ramp-up period to training camp beginning in mid-June. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk previously reported that the NFLPA was exploring such a proposal.

An official framework is expected to be in place this summer, per Pelissero, who adds the changes could take effect as early as next offseason. That would require an agreement with the NFL, since the structure of offseason workouts is collectively bargained. The majority of the players support the revisions, which would allow for meetings to take place during the spring but no on-field practices.

As for coaches and front office staffers, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes support for such a change does not appear present. The gap between minicamp and training camp falling when it does allows for family vacations, as it falls outside the schoolyear. Moving the period without offseason workouts to May would stand to interfere with staffers’ schedules, though many players’ families would also be impacted by this change.

Of course, this news comes against the backdrop of the NFL seeking another expansion to the regular season schedule. Commissioner Roger Goodell and many of the league’s owners are on board with an 18-game slate, something which needs to be bargained with the union. Adding a second bye week has been floated as one of several concessions to the NFLPA which could be required to exchange one preseason contest for an additional regular season one, and an expansion of time off during the spring could represent another.

A number of factors will need to be considered before any formal agreement is in place on this front. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes, many players around the NFL have offseason workout bonuses in their contracts. The elimination of voluntary workouts (and therefore attendance at that portion of teams’ programs) would make such clauses moot. It will be interesting to see how the league’s owners respond once the proposal is finalized.

Pelissero notes the NFLPA consulted medical and performance personnel as part of the process of working out a revised offseason schedule. Allowing players more time off after the campaign has ended coupled with an uninterrupted period of OTA-like work immediately followed by training camp in the summer would certainly mark a drastic change from the status quo. If sufficient support exists for the changes, though, they could be made in relatively short order.

Jerry Jones Supports 18-Game Regular Season; Roger Goodell Addresses Prospective Change

A back-burner matter for many years, discussions about an 18-game season did not cross the goal line during the 2020 CBA discussions. A 17-game compromise came to pass. Four years later, however, momentum appears to be building.

Roger Goodell expressed support for another one-game bump to the schedule, noting (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero) Wednesday the prospect of swapping out a preseason game for an extra regular-season contest — a scenario the longtime commissioner addressed last month — would be “a good trade.” The NFL made this trade in 2021, when it dropped the fourth preseason week for the 17th regular-season game.

Jerry Jones backed Goodell on this front, offering support (via the Washington Post’s Mark Maske) for moving to 18 games. Goodell confirmed another schedule expansion is not currently being discussed but addressed it in a “long-range context.” A report last month suggested the NFL offering significant concessions to the NFLPA in exchange for an extra game could take place well before this CBA expires. The current agreement runs through the 2030 season.

John Mara views most owners as being onboard with an 18th game, but the Giants owner can be counted as a skeptic. Citing player wear and tear, Mara (via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler) has concerns about expanding the schedule.

The NFL schedule stood at 16 games for 43 years (1978-2020), and its 14-game era lasted 17 seasons before that. The NFL now appears prepared to cap the 17-game schedule at less than a decade. This could become the central talking point when the next round of CBA discussions commence, but judging by this topic’s momentum, it should be considered a good bet owners attempt to make 18 games a reality before this CBA expires.

With this prospect gaining steam, players have naturally been asked about it. The subject of a second bye week has come up. A two-bye setup did not advance too far during the talks regarding a 17-game season, but if this change comes during the 2020 CBA’s lifespan, many players will be holdovers from the 16-game era. Asking players to add two games to a schedule would be new territory. By the time the season expanded from 14 to 16 games in 1978, just one player (ex-Vikings ironman Jim Marshall) was a holdover from the 12-game era. At the rate this is going, many players will be part of the 16-, 17- and 18-game periods.

The NFL tried the double-bye format just once — in 1993 — but TV networks were displeased with a diluted schedule; that may well have impacted talks about two byes going into a 17-game format. With the 18-game season coming up more frequently midway through this CBA, expect a push for a permanent two-bye setup to be part of the NFLPA’s counter — assuming the union will consider expanding the schedule again so soon.

It will take much more than adding a bye week to convince the union on 18 games, of course, but this fight appears on tap in the not-too-distant future.

‘Considerable Support’ In Place For Move To 18-Game Schedule

Roger Goodell made some headlines during draft week, expressing an openness to an 18-game regular season. On the fringes for over a decade, this long-running NFL talking point may become a front-burner matter in the not-too-distant future.

NFL owners are believed to largely support Goodell’s preference for 18 games — with a preseason contest being removed from the schedule — according to the Washington Post’s Mark Maske, who reports the league may be eyeing an effort to lengthen the regular season well before the current CBA expires. Agreed to in 2020, this CBA runs through the 2030 season.

Considerable support exists among ownership for a move to 18, Maske adds. While a rumor about support for an 18-game season emerged earlier this year, that report pointed to CBA’s expiration as the point this matter will be decided. It appears, however, we are in for a 2020s effort here.

Seeing as the NFL schedule stood at 16 games from 1978-2020, moving from 17 to 18 so soon would mark a major change. It would also require a significant concession from the NFL to the NFLPA, and a union source informed Maske an expectation the owners bring forth such an offering in the next “12 to 18 months.” Goodell stopped short of saying he would actively pursue a change to 18 games, but the veteran commissioner certainly did not do much to indicate the 17-game schedule is the setup for the long haul.

I think we’re good at 17 now,” Goodell said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “But, listen, we’re looking at how we continue. I’m not a fan of the preseason … the reality is, I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season game any day. That’s just picking quality. If we get to 18 and 2, that’s not an unreasonable thing.”

The 2020 CBA states, “The League and/or Clubs shall not increase the number of regular season games per Club to eighteen (18) or more games,” which would set the stage for a battle between the league and the union. The NFLPA has stood against an 18-game season dating back to the 2011 CBA talks, and owners shifted to a 17-game goal when the union opposed 18 during the 2020 CBA talks. But it will be interesting to learn what concessions the NFL would make in order to make this long-sought-after number a reality.

How the schedule would be structured represents another central component here. Goodell pointed to the Super Bowl falling on Presidents’ Day weekend as a key measure. We heard years ago the NFL would target Presidents’ Day for its finale, but rumblings about a double-bye season did not lead to that logical plan being implemented. The NFL tried the two-bye setup just once — in 1993 — but networks felt that format weakened the schedule, and that view appeared to remain during the discussions pertaining to a 17-game season. If the NFL were to seriously consider 18 games, a two-bye season would almost have to be considered due to the injury-based resistance the NFLPA will likely show.

The NFL has held its season opener the Thursday after Labor Day since 2002. Removing a preseason game from the schedule and starting the regular season one week early would not add up with regards to the season extending to Presidents’ Day weekend. This would seemingly reopen the door for a two-bye season, and it probably should not be ruled out more safety-based measures — potentially surrounding the offseason schedule or in-season practices — could be concessions offered to the NFLPA.

The NFL is considerably safer than it was during previous eras; practice restrictions lead to a fraction of the contact work in practice past NFL generations endured. But players will certainly voice opposition to the schedule moving from 16 to 18 games in the same decade. The league’s increased safety measures and the salary cap growth that has taken place — and the money that would come from adding a game — is expected to be part of the owners’ push to players in a potential negotiation, Maske adds.

But the NFL has already adjusted the trade deadline, pushing it back one week (to the Tuesday following Week 9), but Browns GM Andrew Berry’s effort to slide the deadline past Week 10 came about because of the rumored 18-game push. It does not appear this topic will die down anytime soon. New NFLPA ownership — led by executive director Lloyd Howell and president Jalen Reeves-Maybin — will be tasked with leading the discussions on the players’ side.

Teams Proposing Pushing Trade Deadline From Week 8 To Week 10

FEBRUARY 28: A half-measure move to Week 9 has generated some traction, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. The 49ers, Commanders, Eagles, Jets and Lions are joining the Browns’ push to propose moving the trade endpoint back. That said, disagreement exists among GMs and owners if the deadline needs to be moved at all.

Competitive balance reasons emerged when we last heard this matter brought up, and Jones adds the league wants to protect against potential tanking, something that could conceivably arise by giving sellers two extra weeks to determine their paths. The next round of league meetings are set for March 24-27.

FEBRUARY 27: While we heard a few months ago that the NFL is unlikely to delay their current trade-deadline setup, that won’t stop some teams from pushing for a change. During an appearance on PFT Live, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said the Browns and several other teams have proposed pushing the trade deadline from the end of Week 8 to the end of Week 10 (via PFT on X).

[RELATED: NFL Unlikely To Move Trade Deadline]

While teams have a handful of reasons for pushing for a change to the deadline date, Berry noted that the most obvious logic is because the NFL never adapted the date when switching to an 18-week schedule. The NFL moved the deadline to Week 8 back in 2012, but they kept their deadline the same when they added a week to their schedule in 2021.

“We want to retroactively correct the fact that the trade deadline never moved when the season expanded to 17 games,” Berry told reporters (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “If, at some point in the future, the regular season expands to 18 games, we wanted to be proactive in terms of the positioning for the trade deadline.”

Further, Berry and rival teams believe that pushing the trade deadline back would only benefit the NFL as a whole. The expanded opportunity to improve a team via trade would assist with the “competitive integrity” of the league, according to the executive.

“We think as a league it makes sense to give teams the most flexibility as long as possible to have the best product down the stretch run of the playoffs,” Berry stated (h/t Spencer German of Browns Digest). “We wanted to make sure we maintained the competitive integrity of the season so you don’t get into player dumping late in the year.”

Berry also simply pointed to rival sports leagues as a reason for pushing back the NFL trade deadline. MLB’s trade deadline checks in around two thirds of the way through the season, while the NBA and NHL come after the half-way point of the campaign. The NFL deadline comes in at about 45% of the way through the season, and Berry noted to reporters that the proposed change would push that mark to about 55% of the way through the season. The GM also noted that a Week 10 deadline is notable because it’s been more than a decade since a team has been eliminated from postseason contention earlier than Week 11.

The NFL’s deadline change in 2012 led to an increase in in-season trading, and another change would only help to further increase the number of deals. After the 2022 deadline featured a record 10 trades on deadline day, multiple teams reached out to the league office about the prospect of moving the deadline back. Nothing came of it in time for the 2023 campaign, and while the NFL doesn’t sound overly receptive to making a change in 2024, Berry and his counterparts appear to have a strong argument when the owners meet next month.