The NFL and the NFL Players Association will now have labor peace for another 10 years after the two sides agreed to a new CBA on Sunday that will last until the year 2030.
The agreement comes with many new financial implications for both sides and rules, but one of the most noticeable additions was the expanded playoff format ready to be implemented in 2020.
As opposed to the traditional format of six playoff teams, including two bye weeks per-conference, both sides agreed to change that structure by adding an extra playoff team in both the AFC and NFC. It was also determined that there will be just one bye week available for both conferences as well.
Many took the day to debate this new way of life in the NFL postseason, but there are five key reasons this decision won't blow up in the league's face:
1.) More opportunities for your team to make the playoffs
This is, of course, a very selfish perspective, but it is one that will take over when fans find their teams in the heat of a tight playoff race next winter.
There are a number of reasonable points as to why this new format isn't good for the league, but let's be real - it is good for your team.
Even the fans on social media right now that are bashing the league for this decision will be thanking their lucky stars there is an extra playoff seed next year when their 10-6/9-7 team loses out on the six-seed because of a tiebreaker.
One will find themselves especially grateful for three Wild Card seeds when a 7-9 team steals a playoff spot by winning their division.
2.) One more team per-conference won't dilute the product
Some skeptics are concerned expanding the playoffs will open the door for undeserving teams to get into the big dance. 8-8 or 7-9 teams that simply stand no chance against the league's best.
That couldn't be farther from the truth. Before even getting into who would have made the playoffs as the 7-seed over the years, the talent level of all 32 teams is nowhere near as far off as it is in leagues such as the NBA.
On any given Sunday (cheesy I know), the Cincinnati Bengals could realistically upset the Kansas City Chiefs. Just look at the playoffs in 2019. How many people predicted Ryan Tannehill and the 6-seed Tennessee Titans would upset Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, followed up by a road victory against an MVP Lamar Jackson and the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.
In the NFC last year, the 9-7 Los Angeles Rams would have made it under the new format as the final seed. That's the same Rams team that had made the Super Bowl a year earlier.
Could the Rams not go toe-to-toe with the 2-seed Green Bay Packers? A Rams victory in that game wouldn't have surprised anybody considering the talent and proven playoff success of that roster and coaching staff.
The AFC would have allowed an 8-8 Pittsburgh Steelers team featuring Mason Rudolph or Duck Hodges. However, the Steelers defense was among the league's best in 2019 and could keep them in any game.
Over the last five seasons, there would have been eight 7-seeds with at least a 9-7 record with just two being 8-8 or worse. There have been far more teams finishing seventh in the conference that deserve to get in compared to those that don't.
3.) There shouldn't be four teams with a bye week anyway
There should be incentive for being the top seeds in your conference, don't get me wrong. Getting more home playoff games for being a top-regular season team is certainly reasonable and all leagues do it.
However, to have four teams not only get home playoff games in the second round but for all of them not having to play in the Wild Card round at all? It is such a massive advantage.
For context, the NFL has not seen a Wild Card team make the Super Bowl in seven years. That is the longest drought since the expansion.
Teams with a bye week made up a combined 78% of all participants in the Super Bowl since 1990.
There doesn't need to be four teams off during an entire round of matchups.
4.) More money for teams and players
Playing an extra playoff game (not to mention a 17th regular season game) is not the right move when it comes to players safety. Which, of course, should be a top priority.
One thing the extra game(s) will do is bring in more revenue for teams and the players. While an extra game check or two won't mean much for the elite top-tier of players in the NFL, the 53rd man on the roster that is making the veteran minimum has a lot more riding on that check.
With an increase in the players' cut of all revenue, extra games will also increase their pockets that way with TV deals expected to increase. Players will see a larger portion of that money, and the salary cap will go up.
The cap going up is great for your team too. More money to spend on free agents.
5.) Extra opportunities for unforgettable games and moments
There aren't a lot of events in sports that are as hyped up as a postseason game in the NFL. Sometimes, the games don't live up to that hype. Sometimes you get Brock Osweiler vs. Connor Cook, or Ryan Lindley finding his way into the playoffs.
You spend all day waiting for the game, investing hours in it after kickoff. Often it can end without one single memorable moment. Adding an extra game creates more opportunities to create the classics.
How many people, to this day, remember where they were when Tim Tebow threw a touchdown pass in overtime to send the Pittsburgh Steelers home in the Wild Card matchup of 2011?
Those are the moments that make a fan commit a day to just watching football, regardless of if your team's season is over or not.
An expanded playoff gives fans more chances to see those moments. To create those memories.
Are you on board with the NFL's new playoff format? Let us know on Twitter: @WGR550
