NFL officially approves 17-game regular season

The NFL officially approved a 17-game regular season, adding an additional game to each team's schedule for the upcoming season.

The extra game was agreed upon by the NFL Players Association in the 2020 collective bargaining agreement, giving the owners the power to change the schedule as soon as the 2021 season. No additional bye week has been added for teams, though the preseason schedule has been reduced from four games to three.

With the additional games, the regular season is now scheduled to end on Jan. 9, 2022, with the playoffs being pushed back an extra week. 

To make the odd number of games work, AFC and NFC teams will alternate having an odd and even number of home games, with the AFC teams hosting nine games in 2021. The extra game will be a inter-conference game based on the previous year's divisional standings, as well as the division schedule rotation from two seasons prior.

"This is a monumental moment in NFL history," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "The CBA with the players and the recently completed media agreements provide the foundation for us to enhance the quality of the NFL experience for our fans."