A National Football League (NFL) with Relegation and Promotion System, maintaining the current number of teams, the draft system and the salary cap.
A league with different tiers would promote more competitive games with more closely matched teams. With the draft system and salary cap still in place, a upward mobility through the tier system would still remain possible by not creating a big gap of talent and salary.
With a grace period of one season for recent promoted teams without relegation, these teams would have time to adapt to the new tier and the opportunity to be competitive within two seasons.*
*The ‘Just Promoted’ Exception: the two teams just promoted have a one season grace period without relegation. In case one or both of these teams finish in the relegation zone of their tier the next season, they are exempt from relegation. The next two worst teams are then relegated.
A tiered system would also prevent teams from ‘tanking’, as it would take at least 2 seasons for a Top Tier team to fall 2 tiers to get a Top 10 Pick. Also, with a Third Tier that rewards draft pick order to good records instead of bad records, that would promote more competitiveness even in the bottom of the league. The First and Second Tier would have a draft order system similar, rewarding better records with better picks, to ensure competitiveness throughout the season.
The Tie-Breakers would be, in order of priority: Record, Wins, Head-to-Head, Margin of Victory, Points Scored.
The league division
The league would be divided into three tiers, with the third tier divided into two groups.
Teams per tier
The first tier would have 10 teams, the second tier would also have 10 teams and the third tier would have 12 teams divided into two groups of six teams each.
The conferences and divisions system that exists today would be abolished as would not make sense anymore; and also without conferences and the ‘regional’ divisions, the best teams would be selected for the playoffs.
The First Tier
The calendar would consist of 18 games, with each team playing each other 2 times, one home and one away, similar to football (soccer) leagues around the world.
The best four teams would advance to the playoffs. The first round (1st vs. 4th and 2nd vs. 3rd, one game only) with the winners advancing to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl would remain the same. The losers of the first round of the playoffs are rewarded with draft picks accordingly with their records, better records equals better picks.
The worst two teams of the first tier are relegated to the next year’s second tier.*
The Second Tier
The second tier would occur similar to the first tier but without the second round of the play-offs, as both teams that won the first round would be promoted. The promoted teams are rewarded the 21st and 22nd picks. The losers of the promotion playoffs receive the 13th and 14th picks.
The Third Tier
First Group Stage
The third tier is divided into two groups of six (because one of 12 would be too big). In the first group stage they would play each other twice inside their groups (home and away) amounting to 10 games.
Second Group Stage
The 1st and 2nd, the 3rd and 4th, and the 5th and 6th teams of the initials two groups are divided into 3 separate 4-teams groups. This system will decide what teams will be promoted and the order of the draft
The group consisting of the 1st’s and 2nd’s will play for promotion and the 1st and 2nd picks of the draft, and 11th and 12th picks. The teams will play each other twice, home and away. This will amount to 6 more games. The top two teams are promoted, the third place gets the 1st pick, the fourth gets the 2nd.
The group consisting of the 3rd’s and 4th’s will play for picks 3, 4, 5, 6. The teams play each other twice, home and away. The first place gets the pick 3, and so forth.
The group consisting of the 5th’s and 6th’s will play for picks 7, 8, 9, 10. The teams play each other twice, home and away. The first place gets the pick 7, and so forth.
