MINNEAPOLIS — Significant changes could be coming to the NFL’s playoff format when the league’s 32 owners gather for their spring meetings this week.
Among the items on the agenda is a proposal changing how teams are seeded for the postseason. The owners will also consider allowing NFL players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Here are some things to keep an eye on during the meetings this week:
Another Las Vegas Super Bowl?
The NFL is not expected to announce any future Super Bowl sites in Minneapolis. But owners could pick a market to work with over the next few months, in the hopes of awarding that city the 2029 Super Bowl at their fall or winter meetings.
The Raiders and the city of Las Vegas have submitted a letter of intent to the league to state their interest in hosting another Super Bowl in 2029, 2030 or 2031. The game would take place at Allegiant Stadium, which hosted Super Bowl 58 last year.
Commissioner Roger Goodell praised Las Vegas for the job it did as a host city after the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime win over the 49ers. He also made it clear it the day after Super Bowl 58 it was only a matter of time before the league returned.
“The NFL looks forward to coming back,” Goodell said.
The NFL already has host cities picked out for the next three Super Bowls. The 49ers will host Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium in 2026, the Rams and Chargers will host Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium in 2027 and the Falcons will host Super Bowl 62 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2028.
Playoff changes
Fourteen teams make the playoffs every year under the NFL’s current playoff format, seven from each conference.
They are the four division champions and the three non-division winners with the best regular-season records. All division champions are guaranteed to host their first playoff game, even if a wild-card team finished with a better record.
This past season, for example, the Vikings (14-3) were tied for the second-most wins in the NFC but earned the fifth seed because they finished behind the Lions (15-2) in the NFC North. Minnesota had to face the fourth-seeded Rams (10-7) on the road in the first round and lost 27-9.
Detroit has proposed a different format. All division winners will still earn an automatic playoff berth, but postseason seeding will be determined by regular-season record. Division winners would get the better seed if they were tied with a wild-card team.
The change would have made the Vikings the No. 3 seed last year and given them at least one home playoff game. Time will tell if enough clubs support the switch for the proposal to pass. Twenty-four of the 32 owners, or 75 percent, need to approve the format change for it to go into effect.
Tush push back under the microscope
The Packers’ proposal to ban the “tush push” is back in play after being tabled in March.
The rule would “prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.”
It’s targeted at the Eagles, who have mastered the short-yardage play by snapping the ball to quarterback Jalen Hurts and then having multiple teammates push him forward.
The ban, like the playoff change, needs to be approved by 24 owners for it to pass.
NFL Olympians?
Can you imagine Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throwing the ball to Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson in pursuit of a gold medal?
It’s closer to happening than you might think.
The NFL will explore the possibility of allowing its players to participate in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles this week.
The proposal would allow only one player per NFL team to be selected by a country for the Olympics, in addition to each club’s designated international player.
The 2028 Summer Games, which will feature the debut of flag football, are scheduled to run July 14-30. Training camps typically begin in late July, so players participating in the Olympics shouldn’t miss much time, if at all. The resolution also requires 24 votes in order to pass.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
