Report: NFL playoff expansion gaining support
Commissioner Roger Goodell, who is reportedly in favor of the playoff expansion, has said it wouldn't take place before 2015. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
NFL owners may vote next month during the annual league meeting on a proposal to expand the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams, according to a report Thursday from Mark Maske of The Washington Post.
According to Maske, the idea has gained traction within the league, increasing the likelihood that the issue will come to a vote. In order for the measure to pass, 24 of the 32 owners would need to vote in favor of the proposal.
One source close to the deliberations said in the report that there's "a lot of momentum" pushing the initiative and "a lot of people seem in favor" of expanding the field to 14 teams. Commissioner Roger Goodell is reportedly in favor of the idea, but he has acknowledged in the past that it wouldn't be implemented until the 2015 season at the earliest.
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The proposed changes would mean one team in each conference would receive a bye in the first round, rather than two, and six games would be played on the opening weekend of the playoffs, rather than four. According to the report, one driving factor to push the initiative forward is the increased television revenues that would come from expanding to 14 teams in the postseason.
NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith said days before the Super Bowl that the league has not yet taken an official stance on the proposal.
