Before 2011, the NFL had the power to increase the regular season by up to two games without getting the union’s approval. As of 2011, the NFL acquired the ability to unilaterally reduce the preseason to two games per team.
At the time, back when Commissioner Roger Goodell routinely complained about the quality of sparsely-attended preseason games, the thinking was that the league would spring a plan to cut the preseason in half on the NFLPA, outline the impact on the revenues that currently flow into the pool that determines the salary cap, mention the financial gains that would arise from adding a pair of regular-season games, and wait for the union to suggest adding two regular-season games upon eliminating two preseason games.
It then became clear that the union wasn’t interested in that arrangement. So the status quo continues, with four preseason games that continue to exhibit the same flaws that Goodell used to complain about, when he thought he could leverage a reduced preseason into an expanded regular season.
The current goal seems to be trading a reduced preseason plus something more (e.g., the Commissioner’s disciplinary powers) for an expanded regular season, and possibly an expanded postseason field. Via the Boston Globe, Patriots president Jonathan Kraft hinted that trimming the preseason will be part of the push and pull of the next labor deal.
“At some point in time, probably near the next CBA, I’m sure that will be a discussion point that comes up,’’ Kraft said. “I think they are still valuable. A couple of [roster] spots will be decided tonight.’’
The value of the preseason currently is being debated. Ravens coach John Harbaugh recently expressed concerns about the length of the preseason, after losing tight end Benjamin Watson for the year. On Thursday’s PFT Live, Falcons G.M. Thomas Dimitroff expressed a desire for fewer preseason games.
“That’s one of those situations that over the years I thought that it was going to go to fewer and I was going to welcome that,” Dimitroff said. “So I would say eventually it would be nice to have fewer.”
Eventually, there will be fewer preseason games. But only if there are more regular-season games. As the players make their plans for the next round of CBA talks, they need to think about what they’d want in exchange for expanding the regular season -- and they need to be ready to ask for all of it.
