The extra regular-season game won’t start until 2021
Starting in 2021, the NFL will have 17-game regular seasons and one less preseason game. The NFL hasn’t been clear on how home and away games will be decided for the 17th game yet.
As for payment for players in game 17, here is what the NFLPA fact sheet on the new CBA says:
“Bonus payment of 1/17 of his paragraph 5 salary up to $250K to any player whose contract runs through a season when 17 games are played”
Once the 17-game regular-season begins, teams will be limited to 16 padded practices during training camp and won’t be able to have more than three padded practices in a row. Teams could have 28 padded practices during training camp during the old CBA. Practices can only run for 2.5 hours and players will also be limited to 12 hours per day in a team facility. They also won’t be able to add any of those padded practices back during the regular season.
What does this all mean? It’ll be more difficult for coaches to get players prepared for the start of the regular season. Those coaches, in particular, won’t be happy about these changes because they didn’t get a say in them.