This sounds like it's not a new idea, but I don't recall seeing it discussed here before...I'm not a fan of increasing the season to 18 games, but it's a fascinating idea to limit players to playing 16 games at most. So in a way, both sides get what they want: the owners get more regular season games, and the players still only play 16 games at most.
Could NFL use an 18-and-16 approach to the regular season?
What do you think? It would really emphasize the importance of quality depth, and make for some really interesting strategic moves during the season.