The NFL playoffs could expand to include two extra teams as soon as this coming season under a proposed labor agreement now being reviewed by the owners and players.
In the new playoff structure, a seventh team from each conference would qualify for the postseason. Only the top seed from each conference would receive a bye the first weekend of the playoffs; the top two seeds receive byes currently.
On that first weekend, the next six teams in each conference would face each other, as opposed to four teams now. The NFL has played a 16-game schedule since 1978 and has had a 12-team playoff format since 1990.