The NFL is continuing to pursue a move toward an 18-game regular season, although that outcome is not guaranteed in the short term. If the league does not transition away from the current structure, changes are already planned for how the schedule is built in future years.
Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning, explained in an interview that a modification to the scheduling model is expected after the 2028 season, but only if the league is still operating with 17 regular-season games. The idea has been part of long-term planning since the expansion to 17 games in 2021.
According to North, the timing aligns with an eight-year cycle that completes after 2028, at which point the system would naturally rotate if the 17-game format remains in place.
Origins of the 17 game format and rotational structure
The NFL introduced the 17-game schedule in 2021, building a structure that includes a rotating formula for the additional matchup. This extra game is determined by standings from the previous season and pairs teams of equal finishing positions across opposite conferences that are not already on their schedule.
Under this system, first-place teams face first-place teams, second-place teams face second-place teams, and so on. The designated home conference for this added matchup alternates each year, creating a cycle that moves through different divisions over time.
The rotation also produces alternating travel patterns depending on the year, which has become part of the league’s broader scheduling design since the change was introduced.
Rotation imbalance highlighted through AFC East example
The AFC East provides a clear illustration of how the current cycle functions. In 2021, teams from that division hosted opponents from the NFC East for their additional game. Four years later, in 2025, the same pairing returned, and AFC East teams again hosted the matchup.
In contrast, during 2022 and 2026, AFC East teams were placed on the road against NFC West opponents in both instances. This alternating pattern continues across the cycle, with the AFC East set to face NFC South and NFC North rotations in the surrounding years as well.
The repeated hosting pattern for certain matchups and road assignments for others is part of what the league has identified as a competitive imbalance within the current rotation design.
Planned shift after 2028 and possible long term outcome
The league intends to address this imbalance by flipping the rotation after the 2028 season if the 17-game structure remains in place. Under the revised setup, conferences that previously hosted certain interconference matchups would switch roles, meaning future games would reverse home-field assignments in the cycle.
For example, instead of AFC East teams traveling to play NFC West opponents in certain years, those NFC West teams would travel to AFC East venues in the next cycle. The change would also affect broader scheduling patterns, including years in which NFC teams would have nine home games across consecutive seasons tied to the rotation shift.
North described the plan as a continuation of the originally designed eight-year cycle, with the upcoming change simply flipping the structure if the league has not yet expanded to 18 games.
However, the long-term direction depends on whether an 18-game regular season is introduced. Reports indicate that the change could arrive as early as 2028 or be delayed until 2031 if agreement with the players’ association is not reached. If that delay happens, the adjusted 17-game rotation would be used following 2028 until any expansion occurs.