Schefter: NFL Preparing for Possible 3-Game Preseason as Soon as 2021

The NFL dropped its official 2020 schedule Thursday with notes on contingency plans if the league is forced to delay the season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Aside from those potential fixes, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the preseason schedule will assuredly change as soon as 2021, when the league plans to move from 16 to 17 regular-season games and drop one preseason matchup as a result.

"As for the preseason, the NFL is preparing to shorten it to three games as early as next season, when the regular season grows to 17 games. If a shortened preseason kicks off this summer instead, as many now expect, it hardly would be a significant loss," Schefter wrote.

There was once a time when NFL teams played six preseason games before the regular season, but that number will officially be halved shortly.

For now, however, the league will stick with its typical four-game preseason slate, with games beginning in mid-August and stretching until early September. The regular season is scheduled to start Thursday, Sept. 10.