Getty Image
There are some people that claim the third Monday in January (a.k.a. “Blue Monday”) is the most miserable day of the year but those people have apparently never woken up the morning after the Super Bowl with a killer hangover and the realization that it’s going to be a while before football is back in our lives.
Sure, we can always rely on a few players getting in trouble with the law and some free agency drama to keep us entertained in the offseason (Ezekiel Elliott really came in through the clutch this year) but the spring and summer months still leave a lot to be desired.
I’m sure there are some people out there who get legitimately excited about preseason games, but if you’re like me, you find it hard to get particularly amped watching star players do everything in their power to avoid getting injured for a couple of drives before handing over the reins to a bunch of no-names (even if it occasionally results in some cool moments).
In recent years, there’s been a fair amount of chatter concerning the length of the NFL preseason and whether or not teams really need four meaningless games to get prepared for the ones that actually matter.
Now, according to The Washington Post, it appears the league is finally looking into reducing the number of preseason contests as it explores other possible schedule changes, including an 18-game season and potential alterations to the playoff format.
The outlet reports the potential changes are related to ongoing negotiations concerning the collective bargaining agreement and would likely go into effect beginning in the summer of 2021.
A source close to the talks said it’s a virtual certainty the preseason will be reduced to two or three games, which could make an extended regular season more realistic (although the NFLPA is reportedly a bit resistant to that change).
All I can say is it’s about damn time.