NFL owners are scheduled to meet Thursday in New York as they possibly near the completion of a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Players Association that eventually would include a 17-game regular season and, even sooner, an expansion of the playoff field from 12 to 14 teams beginning next season.
While the 17-game season would not take effect immediately, the league and owners would plan for the expanded playoffs to be implemented in the 2020 season, according to a person familiar with the deliberations. Seven teams in each conference would qualify for the postseason instead of the current six.