Two items top the agenda: increasing the regular season to 17 games and decreasing preseason games to three per team. Both are nearly certain to be approved after a pandemic-stressed season that severely cut into the league’s revenue stream.
Regardless, it’s about to happen. The owners want it and don’t need the union’s permission. The media partners who just spent about $10 billion annually for NFL rights fees will get more content that counts, and fewer exhibition games.
With the preseason reduced, plans basically call for a bye week after the final August games and before the season begins in the second week of September.