In negotiations for a new collective agreement, the NFL and the players’ union NFLPA are coming closer together on the issue of extending the Regular Season. The question is apparently no longer “if” but “from when” each NFL team will play 17 instead of 16 games.

Although negotiations on a new basic agreement (CBA) between the NFL and the players’ union NFLPA are still in full swing, it is already clear that the NFL season could soon have 17 matchdays.

The expansion of the NFL season from 16 to 17 matchdays was the biggest bone of contention in the negotiations so far, but now there is a strong case for a 17-match season to become part of the new CBA. For the draft of the new collective agreement to be approved, two-thirds of the players must vote in favour. However, there is a possibility that the season extension will not start immediately with the validity of the new agreement.

17-game season: NFL players want postponement to 2022 or 2023
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Sunday, the players want to postpone the holding of an additional regular season game until 2022 or 2023. The reason is that many players have contracts that run until 2021 or beyond, making the prospect of compensation for an additional season game more difficult. According to Florio, around 70 percent of the players have contracts that run until 2023.

It is therefore quite possible that both sides will agree to start a 17-match season from 2022.

While players want to make sure they are adequately compensated for an additional game, the NFL wants to extend the season as quickly as possible in view of the increased revenue from an additional game day.

While not every player is enthusiastic about extending the Regular Season, including 49ers star Richard Sherman, the league is prepared to make far-reaching concessions in the new collective bargaining agreement, with the NFLPA players’ union supporting plans for an extended season.

These concessions could include a shortening of the Pre Season, reduced training and practice schedules and changes to the league’s anti-doping regulations.

In addition to the expansion to 17 season games, the NFL is also considering an enlargement of the playoff field. An exact number is not yet known, but it is possible to increase the number of playoff teams to 16, as is already being done in the NBA and NHL. However, an expansion of the playoff field would only come along with the beginning of the 17-match season.

The current collective bargaining agreement with the NFL runs until March 2021 and both sides hope to reach an agreement by March 18, 2020. Then the new fiscal year begins in the NFL.