NFL owners to discuss expanding regular season on Wednesday

In June, Michael MacCambridge wrote for NBC Sports that he believed the NFL will transition to a 17-game regular season in 2021 as allowed via the collective bargaining agreement signed in March. 

Some may have forgotten about this during the current campaign held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but owners aren't among those individuals. 

NFL Network's Judy Battista reported on Tuesday afternoon that league owners have a virtual meeting scheduled for Wednesday, during which they will discuss expanding the regular season to 17 games next year and other items. 

Per the CBA, owners can agree to expand at any point between 2021 and 2023. Battista added that it's not known if a vote on the matter will be held on Wednesday. Owners are also expected to discuss decreasing the annual number of preseason games. 

Owners and the NFL Players Association canceled all preseason matchups scheduled for this past August to prevent the spread of the coronavirus during unnecessary travel and games. 

An expanded regular season coupled with a shorter preseason is inevitable for the future of the NFL regardless of what fans think of the topics, but 2021 may not be the right year for any drastic changes. With so much unknown about the distribution of available COVID-19 vaccines, owners could wait for more stability and plan to increase the number of games for 2022 when it's hoped stadiums can safely be filled without any restrictions.