NFL likely to drop one preseason game and add playoffs in next CBA
By Brian Miller
The NFL and the NFLPA have resumed talks on a new collective bargaining agreement and with that will come quite a bit of change to the landscape of a season.
According to a report on NFL.com, the NFL and the NFLPA are open to expanding the playoffs by two teams and eliminate one pre-season game. If it is agreed upon, the NFL will have a different feel and look.
The current CBA runs through 2021 and both sides are hoping to avoid a work stoppage. The last negotiations for the current agreement spilled into the off-season. The NFL locked out the players in 2011 and while the NFL Draft was held, players didn’t report to any off-season work. Instead, with only days before training camps were to begin, the two sides agreed to a new deal avoiding the loss of games.
The league is hoping to see significant changes to the schedule when the two sides finally agree to a new deal. The NFL is hoping to see an 18 game schedule but the player’s union has been hesitant to discuss the possibility. A month ago there was some talk that the league would increase the season to 18 games but make it mandatory that each player could only play in 16 games.
According to the above article, the two sides are open to discussing the possibility of eliminating one pre-season game and adding two teams to the playoffs. Currently 12 teams, six from each conference make the post-season. If a team is added into each of the conferences it would reshape the current system and add another week of post-season play.
The article says that the league and NFLPA may expand from 12 to 14 which puts one more team in the post-season. The one option that the NFL would have and would likely see happen is that only one team would have a bye week entering the post-season. That would be seed one. Week one would likely see the 2nd seed play the 7th, the 3rd seed play the 6th, and the 4th and 5th seeds play. In the division round, the top seed would play the lowest seed.
Adding one game to the post-season will help the league recoup some of the loss in pre-season revenue by losing the 4th pre-season game.
Revenue will continue to be the sticking point in the next CBA no matter how many games are in the regular season, post-season, or pre-season. The NFLPA wants a bigger share of the NFL pie and will get some type of increase it is just unclear for now how much that will be.