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It's looking more and more like a 17 game regular season will become a reality:

The NFL and NFL Players Association has negotiated a proposal labor deal based on 17 games. Now, the NFLPA simply needs to accept the proposal.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... -proposal/

A couple of points: It' not clear how a 17 game schedule will work, but my guess is that they're doing it to enhance their international series. With 3 teams moving into new stadiums next season, it's going to be more difficult to get teams to pony up a home game to be played in London or Mexico City. Additionally, they're looking to expand their market. 17 games would give each team an odd game that would be played at a neutral location. That's 16 games that can be played in non-NFL locations which could include places like San Antonio, Montreal, Tokyo, Honolulu, or at college locales like Lincoln, Nebraska or Tuscaloosa, AL.

Second point is that the article indicates that the players may not be in a position or a mood to drive a hard bargain by holding out or having the owners lock them out. The current CBA doesn't expire until after the 2020 season. That's good for us fans as it would eliminate the uncertainty that preceded previous agreements and for the teams, which would know what the rules are going to be like so they can manage their long term contracts and salary caps.

I wonder if this will move the NFL to look at eliminating one of the two weeks between the end of the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Honestly, by the time the Super Bowl rolls around I've almost lost interest unless one of the Superbowl teams is my team.

trents wrote:I wonder if this will move the NFL to look at eliminating one of the two weeks between the end of the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Honestly, by the time the Super Bowl rolls around I've almost lost interest unless one of the Superbowl teams is my team.

It's unlikely that they'll eliminate the week off prior to the Super Bowl. The teams can use a rest, especially if they didn't get a first round bye, and they can use the extra week to create more hype for the game. Plus there's a lot of fans that don't buy tickets until the participants are known, and fans of the two participants need time to make hotel/flight reservations, arrange time off from work, and so on.

Another option is to eliminate the bye week in the regular season, which especially if they plan on using the 17th game to expand their international series, seems even less likely.

What's more likely is that they'll start the regular season on Labor Day weekend, perhaps sacrificing a preseason game or condensing the preseason so they can get 4 games in 3 weeks.

How about 17 games with one in a Neutral site foreign or domestic, 2 preseason games, one bye but same day for all, and SB two weeks out but on Saturday

Here's more on how a 17 game schedule might work. Also, although it's a couple months old, the linked article has some good information on the state of the new CBA negotiations:

The proposal includes Week 1 still beginning after Labor Day, and the Super Bowl concluding the final Sunday of February (which could be bad news for The Oscars). It would allow the NFL to have playoff games on air throughout the month of February -- critical sweeps weeks for its broadcast partners -- and would include two byes for each team.

The additional game for each club would be played out-of-market, the sources said, with a heavy emphasis on key international locales like the United Kingdom (London and Ireland, in particular), Germany, Mexico and Brazil. It also opens the possibility of a full eight-game regular season schedule of games in London – something commissioner Roger Goodell is very supportive of -- with fans there able to buy a "season ticket," which would include at least two Jaguars games.

The NFL has also talked internally about playing games in other cities in the U.S. which do not have pro teams, with some buzz about playing a game at Notre Dame or Alabama, as well as Hawaii and cities in Canada. It is viewed as a unique and profound way to grow the game globally and extend the reach of sales, merchandising and broadcast rights around the globe, with there only so much more room for growth within America.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/how- ... 19-season/

I think players get beat up enough in a 16 game season. 17 games submits the players to potentially 21 games in a sport where collisions are like small cars colliding. The selfish fan in me would love it but it's not right for the players and could significantly effect the product on the field

Hawktawk wrote:I think players get beat up enough in a 16 game season. 17 games submits the players to potentially 21 games in a sport where collisions are like small cars colliding. The selfish fan in me would love it but it's not right for the players and could significantly effect the product on the field

Agreed.

But the reality is that we're going to have a 17 game season. The NFL is ran by greedy, money-hungry owners, and this is a way for them to make even more money.