National Football League

A Change is Gonna Come

Published Feb. 20, 2020 7:24 p.m. ET

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A new decade means new decrees for the NFL.

With the NFL collective bargaining agreement set to expire in 2020, the league is in talks with the NFL Players Association to discuss a variety of topics.

And not surprisingly, at the top of the list is an expanded season and updated playoff format.

Because hey, more games equals more money.

And more money equals...mo' money!

Here's how it would work:

One of the four preseason games would be eliminated and the regular season would feature 17 games.

And that's not the only place we'd get more action.

The playoff field would expand from 12 teams to 14, with only the No. 1 seed from each conference receiving a first round bye.

Here's an example of what last season's playoffs would have looked like:

Essentially, one game would be added to each conference's Wild Card weekend, and the No. 2 seed on each side – instead of receiving a bye – would host their conference's No. 7 seed.

One potential benefit of more teams making the playoffs is extra money for players, with more guys having the opportunity to earn a playoff bonus.

But there's a tradeoff. More money is great, but not if mo' money upfront means no money later.

There is also the physical toll. A 16-week season is already tough on players' bodies.

Add in an extra game – or potentially two due to the elimination of one bye week – and the possibility of injury is greater.

At that point, would NFL players consider adopting a recent NBA trend?

There's also the possibility of diminishing the quality of play.

Lastly, that No. 1 seed now carries a ton of weight, and will give those two No. 1 seeds a decided advantage.

Consider this: the past seven Super Bowls have featured at least one team with a first-round bye, and four of those Super Bowls have featured a matchup of the two No. 1 seeds.

Of course, the potentially expanded schedule won't impact viewership or popularity because who are we kidding. This is football we're talking about.

It's America's sport.

But if something ain't broke...

...why fix it?

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