An expanded regular season has been a goal of NFL team owners for years, but Tuesday s vote, which approved a 17th game, wasn t unanimous among owners.
Bears chairman George H. McCaskey voted against the measure, according to four sources who were on the videoconference.
Through a team spokesman, McCaskey declined comment to ESPN.
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Tuesday s vote was long-awaited and was hailed as a monumental moment in NFL history by commissioner Roger Goodell. But it has also been a source of tension with many players, including Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints, who earlier this week tweeted that it was S - dumb . as hell.
Jan 15, 2021
The Bears won t be on a field in a regular-season game for nine months but when they areit will be without defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr.
Th e NFL announced Friday Edwards Jr. had been suspended without pay for the first two games of 2021 for violating the league s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Edwards Jr. is allowed to participate in training camp, offseason work and preseason games, but would have to sit out the first two weeks in the regular season.
They might not even have Edwards next season, anyway. He is an unrestricted free agent, just one of many the team has among backups on the defensive line. Retaining some of their depth on the defensive line is shaping up as one of the big challenges for GM Ryan Pace.